The Illusion of Fire
by Rai Lockhart
Summary: Love is the fire of life; it either consumes you or purifies your soul.
1. Closed

**A/N: In the Harry Potter Forums, there is a drabble challenge- 30 Drabbles in 30 Days. My friend Reels (read her story, The Galaxy and God's Gift) challenged me to it as well, only I was allowed to use whichever pairing from whichever fandom I chose. Since I have been rewatching the episodes on Netflix (FTW!) I chose Avatar, and my personal favorite ship, Zutara.**

**I hope you enjoy. Reviews would be loved.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender.  
**

Katara turned away from him, choosing instead to look at the wall of her kitchen.

"You knew that I wouldn't be able to stay for very long, Katara," he said, taking hold of her hand. "I told you that this would only be a short visit. Next time, I promise I'll stay in Ba Sing Se for at least two weeks."

She sighed. "Aang, I know you have things that you need to do even though the war is over. Recovery is a long road. I just… I wish you could stay. It gets lonely in this huge house with no one here but me."

"But you have visitors all the time!" he said, confused. "There are always people who want to talk to you and ask you for advice and that need your help with injuries. How can you be lonely when you're always surrounded by people who respect and admire you?"

Katara pulled her hand away from him. She turned her attention from the wall to his face. He was staring at her, his eyebrows knitted together, and his head slightly cocked to one side.

Despite the pain that welled up inside of her, she smiled.

There was no need to worry him before he left for yet another peacekeeping mission.

"I just miss you, that's all," she lied, taking his hand again. His face relaxed, and his smiled returned. "Are you sure you don't want a cup of tea before you go? I can whip one up really quickly and even Iroh says they're starting to taste really good. Who knows, maybe I can work at his tea shop when you're gone."

"That would be a fantastic idea, Katara! Then the time would pass really quickly, and Toph and Zuko would be in there all the time! You'd be surrounded by friends!" His excitement grew with every word he spoke while Katara's happiness diminished.

She stood up quickly, and moved over to the teapot on the stove. The tea stirred itself as she moved a finger over it. She zoned out quickly as Aang began to talk about his latest adventure to another Earth Kingdom nation, which he had just gotten back from today.

Ever since the end of the war six years ago, Aang had been going from place to place, the intervals between each trip decreasing substantially. In the beginning, he did many of his dealings in the Earth Kingdom capital, but about two years ago, he began going further and further away, more and more often.

Katara poured a cup of tea for both of them, barely catching Aang's last words.

"Yeah, that does sound a little ridiculous Aang," she agreed, glad she noticed he was asking her a question.

"Are you sure you're alright, Katara? You seem a little… distant."

"It's nothing I can't handle, Aang. Just my thoughts getting the better of me."

"Well, okay then," he said, taking her reassurance at face value. "Anyway, like I was saying, these kids were crazy! I mean, fighting over a simple egg custard tart… can you imagine?"

Katara laughed, saying "I think Sokka would see their quarrel as justified, don't you?"

"Yeah! He always was "starving", or so he said," Aang replied with a huge smile of his own. "How are Sokka and Suki doing, by the way?"

Katara took a long sip from her cup, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the taste. She place the cup on the table, but continued to stare at the tea. "They're doing really well! I got a letter from Suki just the other day, she says I should come out to visit sometime. I thought I would go out and see them in about a month or so."

"Hey, maybe we can go together!" he said. "It's been forever since we took a trip, and I need to visit Kyoshi to see how everyone is holding up."

"Yeah, maybe," Katara said. "Hey, don't you need to be going? You look like you're done with your tea, and I know that the trip will be long, even with Appa." She stood, and picked up the cup in front of him, and brought it over to the sink.

Aang look out of the small window over her sink, and gasped. "You're right!" he said. He stood up as well, and walked over to say goodbye. She could feel his presence looming over her.

"Bye, Katara," he said, giving her a kiss. "I love you," he ended, and hugged her.

"Goodbye, Aang," she said. "I hope you enjoy your trip."

He smiled and walked out of the kitchen. The door closed behind him.

'_That's one thing about being his girlfriend,'_ Katara thought. _'It's always one door closing after another.'_

**A/N: I hope you liked it. Reviews are loved. This is for Mystii's 30 Drabbles in 30 Days challenge. **_  
_


	2. Love? What do I know about love?

**A/N: Day 2**: L**ove? What do I know about love? Read, Review, and enjoy. :D**

Weeks had passed.

Katara knew what she was going to have to do. She couldn't keep living like this; she was miserable, she missed her family, and she had lost the feeling that had kept her here in the first place.

Aang had been home for about a week now, having returned from Omashu happy and triumphant. As it turned out, the city was doing just fine without him, but he decided to stay for the whole three weeks just in case something came up.

Meanwhile, Katara had been at her house in Ba Sing Se, mulling over her thoughts, and the gradual change of her love into something else entirely.

"Katara, are you home?" Aang's voice carried to her in her bedroom, echoing all over the house.

"I'm in my bedroom," she called, hoping he would hear her. She had been thinking about what she was going to say all day, and she didn't want to lose the small bit of courage that had manifested itself in her soul.

It took Aang a minute or two to travel to her bedroom. Her house wasn't that large compared to some of the surrounding houses, but it was more than Katara had been used to as a child, and it took much too long for someone to get from the door to the bedroom.

The door opened, and Aang stepped through, his eyes shining and his smile wide. "Hey there, Katara. I know I promised to eat dinner with you tonight, but the Earth King-"

"Aang," Katara interrupted, her voice serious, "please sit down." Aang obeyed without a second thought, sitting in the wicker chair Katara kept in her room.

Katara herself took a seat on the bed, sighing as she closed her eyes. Aang quickly jumped out of his seat, placing his hand on Katara on Katara's shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern drenching his voice. "Is everything okay with Sokka and Suki? What about your dad? Is Master Pakku sick?"

"No, Sokka, Suki, Dad, and Master Pakku are all fine." Aang seemed to relax a little hearing those words, but he did not move his hand off of Katara's shoulder. "I… I wanted to talk about something with you. Just please, sit down," she asked, slipping out from underneath his comforting hand.

Aang again obeyed. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

She hesitated, losing her courage for a few seconds. With another deep breath and a run through, in her mind, of the reasons why she should do this, Katara turned toward Aang. His eyes were still full of concern, and she knew that this was going to hurt both of them immensely. "I want to talk about… us," she said, noticing how his gaze turned from concerned to confused in a matter of seconds.

"The thing is, Aang… I just can't do this anymore."

"Do what, Katara?" Aang asked. "If it's sitting in the house while I'm gone, then I promise I can do something about it! You can travel with me again. I've missed you a lot on the trips, and it would be a lot more enjoyable travelling around if you were there with me," he admitted, his face coloring red.

Katara, however, shook her head. "It's not that, Aang. Well, it has to do with that, by my travelling around with you won't solve the problem. I just can't stay here in this house anymore, Aang. I can't wait for you to come home anymore. I don't belong in the Earth Kingdom with people I don't know."

"Then we can go live in the North Pole, or on Kyoshi Island! It's no trouble at all, Katara!"

"AANG!" She yelled, which quieted him down immediately. "That's not what I meant. I've been thinking quite a lot recently, since you've been in and out so much. I'm… well, I'm just not cut out to do this, Aang. I can't be your girlfriend anymore. I can't wait for you, I can't comfort you, and I can't… I can't love you."

Katara put her hand over her mouth, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill. She wanted this to be over so she could break down in tears; despite the fact that she knew she needed to do this, it still hurt.

Aang leapt out of his seat, looking at her in exasperation.

"But we are meant for each other, Katara! I've loved you since the first time I saw you!" He was pleading with her, trying to win her back. He didn't know where it all went wrong, she could tell.

"I thought we were in love, Katara! I thought you loved me!"

Katara could see the faint outline of the boy Aang once was standing beside him. Aang was so much taller now than he used to be. That was expected, she guessed. His outfit had changed, his body had become stronger, and yet, inside, he was still the same.

"Love? What do I know about love?" Katara asked bitterly. "I was only a child when I thought that, Aang. So were you. Things change… I've changed."

"But if two people are meant for each other, then they change together!" He argued, still pleading with his eyes. He was bent over in front of her now, at her eye level.

She turned away from him, tears falling from her eyes. "Maybe we weren't meant to be together, Aang!"

"But the prophecy you told me about! A powerful bender!"

She shrugged, saying, "It could mean anyone, Aang. Toph is a powerful bender. Am I supposed to marry her, as well?"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it! Katara, I care for you! I love you! And you love me! Right?" Katara chose not to answer. Aang pulled his eyes away from her tearstained face, and looked at the floor.

"I do care, Aang. I care about you very much, but… not in a way that you want me to care about you. Not in the way I used to care about you," she finally said.

The tears started to race down her cheeks once more. Aang drew himself up to full height, and looked her in the eyes. "So, you don't love me anymore?" he asked quietly.

Katara hesitated, making sure she knew what she was feeling.

"I haven't for a long time, Aang."

**A/N: I hope you liked it. Tomorrow will be Zuko-centric! **


	3. Empty

**A/N: Day Three, number 16 – Empty. Zuko-centric! This one is more of a drabble length instead of a chapter. I would assume this is about the time that, in the Earth Kingdom, Aang and Katara are fighting. **

**Read, review, and enjoy!**

_Alone._

Zuko sat atop his throne, surrounded by orange-red flames. The hall was deserted, for now. Maybe, sometime soon, someone would walk in, and then he could be slightly distracted.

_Vacant._

But the slight distraction wouldn't be enough to fill the hole _her_ presence left behind. The visitors, while distracting, were not permanent. The visitors could not make him laugh or straighten his hair if a piece were out of place. They are all respectful.

_Abandoned._

It wasn't fair that she could leave like this. She shouldn't have been able to leave him, to abandon him when he needed her. It was true- Zuko had a hard time admitting that he needed people, but Mai was one person he definitely needed. She was his light, his smile, and now, she was gone.

_Gone._

The word echoed through his mind as the sound of a door opening echoed throughout the hall. "Fire Lord Zuko?" A voice called. He looked up, barely registering that there was a man standing in front of him "Fire Lord, I am sorry to bother you. You asked me to tell you of developments in the food shortage that occurred on one of the smaller islands off the coast of Ember Island after a monsoon soaked many fields; I am happy to report that the food that was sent in has helped considerably, and the farmers are especially pleased with the farmer is here to say thank you. Shall I call him in?"

"Yes, please do so," Zuko said, sitting slightly straighter in his chair. He still didn't smile.

_Forsaken._

A man, definitely a farmer, walked in, dressed in what looked to be his best outfit. He bowed to the Fire Lord, and then looked up to Zuko, pure gratitude showing on his face. "Thank you, Fire Lord. Thank you very much for saving our island. Hail, Fire Lord Zuko," he exclaimed, and he fell to his knees.

"Please, stand up." The man did so. "There is no need to thank me; I only did what was right for our nation. Your island produces food that feeds not only those whom live there, but many other Fire Nation citizens. I should thank you for being willing to continue your work after such a disaster as this." Zuko knew that he had said the right words when the man's eyes glistened with tears. However, saying the right things didn't make Zuko feel any better. It didn't make him feel any less alone. It didn't make him smile.

"Thank you for coming," Zuko said, and the man was escorted out of the throne room.

_Hollow._

The man left, and the hall was hollow once more. Only Zuko remained. A huge palace, filled with people, but not people he cared about. Not people he loved.

Zuko was alone. He was hollow on the inside, just like his palace.

_Dead._

He could save an island after a monsoon, but he couldn't save his wife of three years from illness. He could keep a family that he didn't know alive, but he couldn't keep Mai here. He even asked the best healers to come in, but they could do nothing. Herbs and spices were nothing to combat against her sickness.

Even Katara, someone he trusted, couldn't do anything for her. "Maybe a vial of spirit water," she had said, looking at Aang. But he shook his head- the Northern Water Tribe, however civil they may be toward the Fire Nation, would not give a vial of its precious water to help an ailing member of the Fire Nation that had once wanted the world's destruction.

That had been two years ago. He hadn't smiled since.

_Empty._

Without her, without Mai, he was a shell. He existed, he functioned, but he was not alive. Not in the sense he once was. He was a man, whole on the outside, empty inside.

"Fire Lord Zuko?"

He lifted his eyes from the flames in front of him, and looked at the man who had just entered. He was holding a rolled up piece of parchment. "There was a letter addressed to you that had arrived from Ba Sing Se. It is from Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, and we assumed it was important, so no one has opened it."

The man walked forward, and handed Zuko the letter. Zuko opened it, and read it quickly.

"If you could, would you send a response to this letter to Kyoshi Island?" The man nodded. "Tell her the answer to her inquiry is yes, of course." Again, the man nodded.

"Anything else, Fire Lord?" the man asked.

Zuko paused, returning his gaze to the flames for just a second before answering. "On your way out, could you tell one of the maids to come here? We will need to prepare a room for our guest."

**A/N – Okay, so everyone saw that coming. I hope you all liked it! Reviews are very welcome. Until tomorrow, Rai is out.**


	4. Why in the world would you do that!

**A/N: Day, uh, four! Prompt number 10 - Why in the world would you do that? Read, review, and please please enjoy!**

"Suki, I promise, it's all for the best, really," Katara said.

It had only been a week since she had arrived on Kyoshi Island, ten days since she broke things off with Aang, and already she was moving on to another place. Suki feared that the breakup with Aang was making Katara unstable, but she seemed fine. A little sad, but fine.

A few more items were thrown into a bag. "I wouldn't want to stay here and be a burden on either you or Sokka. Leaving… It will be for the best."

"Katara, you are not a burden, I promise," Suki said, looking at the twenty one year old with concern. "But how would you know that leaving here would be the best? Are you sure Zuko will even want you in his palace?"

The waterbender nodded, holding up the Fire Lord's response letter. "Zuko agreed to let me stay in the palace. I figured it would be no trouble at all, since he is the Fire Lord, and therefore can sustain a guest. And…" she trailed off, looking out of the window.

"And what?" Suki asked.

Katara sighed. "And you didn't see him two months ago, Suki. Without Mai, Zuko is completely lost. He's empty on the inside. He needs a friend. It will be beneficial for both of us. I can get away from the Earth Kingdom and Aang, and Zuko can have someone to talk to, I hope."

The door to the room Katara had been staying in opened, and Sokka stood in the doorway. "What's this about Zuko? Did he send a letter or something?" Sokka immediately spotted the piece of parchment on the bed, and grabbed it up quickly.

Suki and Katara exchanged looks of pure panic; Katara hadn't wanted to tell Sokka of her plans until, well, never. Both she and Suki agreed that it would be disastrous, and completely unneeded.

Sokka's face changed from interested, to confused, to enlightened, to panicked, and finally, to absolute abhorrence. "YOU'RE going to live with ZUKO?" he questioned, shaking the letter in his hand like it was the worst piece of information he had ever read.

Katara shrugged. "Yeah."

"WHY in the WORLD would you do THAT?" he yelled, throwing his arms up in the air and letting the letters flutter around him.

"It's for the best!" Katara said defensively.

Sokka crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at both his sister and her obvious co-conspirator, Suki. "I will never let you do this! I thought you said you were going back to the tribe!"

"Excuse ME, but you don't have any say on where I go or what I do! You are my brother, Sokka, not my FATHER!" Katara retorted, one hand firmly on her hip.

"Guuugh!" Sokka exclaimed in frustration. "And what _will_ dad do once he hears that you are going to LIVE with the Fire Lord!"

"Zuko is my FRIEND! Dad will be happy that I am going to live in a spacious PALACE where I won't be a burden, and I can live in peace! He KNOWS I was never happy in Ba Sing Se!" Katara finished, breathing heavily. She turned away from both Sokka and Suki as tears slid down her cheeks.

As true as the statement had been, it still hurt to say it.

Sokka stopped, and looked like he was going to say something, but Suki stepped in. She placed a hand on his chest, and shook her head.

He thought for a second, and then lowered his voice considerably. "Well, you go do what you want, but just be sure to know that I am not happy about this new living arrangement! Who knows what those Fire Nation people will do to you, Katara!"

Katara turned her head, and looked at her brother. He was smiling, and she found that the smile was very contagious. In two seconds, she had rushed forward, and given him a huge. "Thank you," she mumbled. "I just... need to get away. It's not like I'll be living with Zuko forever."

**A/N: To those of you wondering, next chapter is when Katara arrives to Zuko's palace! I have everything mapped out, and I can tell you, it's gonna be adorable. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	5. Lies

**A/N: 30 Day challenge, Day five, challenge 22 - Lies. I hope you like it a lot! Please read, review, and enjoy!**

**Reviews are good for an author's soul!**

Zuko could remember the urgency of the letter, how the words on the page were scribbled down as if written by a shaking hand, and he knew he had to say yes. His friends were in trouble, and one of them was reaching out to him, begging for his help.

She hadn't said how long she was staying, but it was implied it would only be a short time. _"There was a threat on Aang's life, and until it is deemed safe, he wants me to evacuate Ba Sing Se. I made plans to stay on Kyoshi with Suki and Sokka, but Aang wants me to be further away, somewhere I can be safe._"

It was reasonable. Had there been a threat on Zuko's life, he would have made sure that Mai was just as safe, probably even more so.

However, he had assumed that a threat to the life if the Avatar would be top priority, and would take a few days, maybe a week at the most, of Katara living here.

"So, have you heard from Aang lately?" He asked Katara one day at lunch.

He watched as her eyes widened in surprise, and then as they became stormy and depressed. He wondered if something bad had happened, like the Avatar had been attacked.

"Yeah. He said it would be a few more days," Katara lied, hoping that Zuko bought it. After a small nod, the conversation eased into something totally different, and Katara knew he had.

She knew that Zuko was prepared to keep her here until Aang said it was safe for her to return; she had asked him on the first day if there was a limit to his kindness (not in those exact words, mind you). He had responded quickly and definitely, saying that the palace was open to her as long as she needed to use it.

Another day passed, making it a week since Katara had arrived. Zuko caught her once more staring out of a window with an absent look on her face. She was sad, it seemed.

"Katara?" he asked.

She spun around, and he was more than shocked to see tears in her eyes. It wasn't much, but it was enough for him to infer that _something _was not right.

"Are you okay?" he asked quickly.

She shook her head, and spoke quietly. "I'm so sorry, Zuko. I'm just… I'm sorry."

He moved forward, and put a hand on her shoulder. "What are you sorry about, Katara?" His tone was gentle and soothing; he had become much better with people since his time with Mai.

"The… letter…" she choked out. "It was full of lies. Everything was a lie… I just… I couldn't take it." She stood up from her seat, still crying slightly, and looked him in the eyes. "If you want to kick me out, I won't argue. I shouldn't have lied."

Zuko took a deep breath. "Katara, tell me what's going on, please," he asked, looking into her sad blue eyes.

She bit her lip. "I… I broke up with Aang and I couldn't stay in Ba Sing Se anymore," she confided, not looking at him. "I needed a place t-to go, a-and I thought y-you would be fine with it," she said.

Zuko thought about it for a moment. She had lied to him, which was obvious. She had brought this upon herself, and she had a home she could return to. But some little voice inside him, which was tugging at his heart, told him that she was a friend, and she needed his help.

"It's fine, Katara. You can stay here as long as you need to be here, it's really no problem."

She looked up at him, and then pulled him into a hug. He stood still, completely shocked at the close human contact.

He found himself closing his arms around her as she continued to sob quietly, out of both relief and sadness. He heard a muffled, "Thank you," come from her mouth, and she tightened her grip on his torso.

"You're welcome, Katara," he said.

**A/N: Ah, I hope you liked it! Also, if you like Harry Potter, check out Reel's story The Galaxy and God's Gift, please. It's the same challenge as I am attempting, but it's so fantastic! Thanks!**


	6. Flower Garden

**A/N: Day six, challenge 20: Flower Garden. Read, Review, and ENJOY! **

Zuko was, as Katara understood it, sitting in his throne, talking to advisors and trying to decide how to handle the complications that his country was facing. Katara, out of respect for his leadership, would leave him alone during those times, and not sit in on the meetings, despite how much she wanted to listen.

Instead, Katara had taken it upon herself to familiarize herself with the layout of the palace. Already this week she had wandered into a library (it was large and very comprehensive), empty bedrooms, training rooms, kitchens, sitting rooms, and servant's quarters.

There were also secret passages throughout the palace, which succeeded in allowing her to find new places that she would never have found on her own. Today was one of the days where she accidentally found a passage way, and followed it to the end.

"How beautiful," she gasped once she reached the end.

Katara was standing in a flower garden. The garden looked to be broken into eight parts by the paths, which all led to one circle, in the middle of which was a small fountain.

There were a few fire lilies which shone brightly in the garden. To compliment the red, purple Irises were growing in another patch, while various other white and red flowers grew elsewhere. Katara couldn't name all of them, only the occasional lily or hibiscus, but she was amazed by the view.

Sitting near the fountain were flowers Katara was sure were not native of the Fire Nation, but still beautiful nonetheless. A dozen or so red tulips lined the fountain.

The waterbender took a seat on the small bench opposite of where she had come, and continued to gaze at the flowers. She wished she could have had a garden like this in Ba Sing Se; it would have given her something to do and a place to think.

"I wonder if this was Zuko's mother's garden," she wondered aloud, standing from her seat.

"Actually, miss, it was the garden of the late Fire Lady Mai," a voice said. Katara turned in surprise to see a servant walking by with clothes in a basket. "We were all amazed that she wanted one, but the late Fire Lady seemed to enjoy it very much. It is quite a thing to see, isn't it?"

Katara nodded in agreement. "It is really beautiful. Which one of the servants keeps it up? They must do a really good job; I don't see a weed anywhere in here."

"The Fire Lord himself maintains this garden. He comes here almost every day after his meetings. In fact, he should be arriving very soon, if you'd like to ask him about it," the servant said.

"No, that's fine!" she said quickly. The woman shrugged, and continued along the path toward the clothing lines. Katara didn't want to be caught by Zuko in what she assumed was a very special place to him; she doubted he wanted any visitors in Mai's garden.

Her heart began to race as she heard footsteps coming from the passage she had entered to get here, and Katara ran as fast as possible to a hiding place where she wouldn't be seen by Zuko. Zuko emerged from the passage, still dressed in his Fire Lord robes, garments she was not used to seeing him in, even after weeks of living with him.

He walked into the garden, and moved to the center, where he knelt by the fountain. Katara could barely make out his whispered words from where she was, and she knew that what he was saying was coming straight from his heart.

"Mai," he mumbled, looking at the fountain. "It's been just over two years to the day that you've been gone, and I still miss you. You always seemed to know what I was thinking, and the rare smiles you gave… I miss them."

He was not crying, she could tell, but even from a distance, Katara could hear the pain and sadness in his voice.

The Fire Lord stood up, and walked to an edge of the garden, where he picked up a watering can. He filled it with water from the fountain, and moved to a section of flowers so he could begin his upkeep. Katara took a deep breath and moved out from her hiding place. Zuko didn't take note of her presence at all, since he was so intent on the watering of his garden.

"I could help you with that," Katara said quietly. Zuko spun around in surprise, his long robes swirling around him for a second.

"Katara? What are you doing out here?" he asked curiously.

She rubbed her arm nervously. "I found this garden while I was wondering around the palace. It's beautiful out here," she commented. "I couldn't help but sit here and take it all in. You do a very good job keeping it up, you know."

"Thank you," he replied. "It was originally Mai's garden, but when she… passed on, I didn't want the beauty to fade, so I've kept it up."

Katara could tell that there were unspoken words lingering in his head.

"It seems to be a pretty big job, watering and de-weeding the entire garden, especially since the watering can will only hold so much water," she said.

Zuko nodded. "It is, but I don't mind it. I think it's a nice distraction."

There was silence for what felt like ages before Katara finally repeated her initial offer. "If you don't mind, I would love to help out with the upkeep of the garden. I know it's special, but I love it out here."

Zuko stared at her in confusion. "But there's only one watering can, Katara," he stated, obviously not connecting the dots.

Katara laughed, and said, "I am a waterbender, you know. I don't exactly need a watering can to water the plants."

The realization dawned on Zuko, and he smiled despite himself. Katara's eyes widened at the sight; it was the first time she had seen Zuko smile since she had been here. "That's true," he said, the smile fading. "I would really appreciate the help, Katara."

With that, the pair went to work maintaining Mai's flower garden, and Katara could swear she heard a woman's voice say a faint, "_Thank you_," whispered in the breeze.

**A/N: Enjoyment is happiness. Reviews are love. Thank for reading, and I have to say, I imagine this chapter as really adorable in my mind.**


	7. Moonlight

**A/N: Day Seven, challenge 5: Moonlight. Read, review, and, most of all, enjoy.**

Zuko's eyes shot open, and all he could see for a full minute was pure darkness.

He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes once more, but he knew he wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep for a while. He had a dream about Azula, who was living in an insane asylum somewhere near an inactive volcano, and it was not a pleasant dream; in fact, it was about his last battle with Azula. In his dream, however, Azula killed Katara before he could save her.

Right before the bolt hit, he woke up.

The Fire Lord was no stranger to this dream, but he hadn't dreamt it in so long, it had completely slipped his memory.

'_Why now?'_ he wondered.

"I need some air," he muttered to the darkness, swiftly moving himself off of the bed. He pulled on a long robe, and stumbled through his room until he reached the door. It was slightly brighter out in the hallway, and his eyes adjusted to the dark quickly.

Zuko began to walk the hallways, his mind wandering from one thing to the next. Could the dream have been a sign? No, if Azula had broken out, it would have been reported to him. Then why did he dream about that day? Why did he have the nightmare that had occurred to him only twice before, directly after the battle?

Was it because Katara was here now?

Moreover, he experienced a new feeling in the dream tonight. When the lightning bolt was going toward Katara, every cell in his body screamed for him to move. He was worried; he wanted to save her and keep her from the pain that was sure to follow. Before, it was just a small nagging to go help her, and mostly about the fear in his heart regarding Azula. Tonight, however, it was different.

Without realizing it, Zuko had strolled to one of the hallways overlooking a courtyard. He turned his head abruptly, amazed to hear light _swoosh_-ing sounds coming from below.

In the courtyard, a young woman stood, surrounded by water. Moonlight glinted off her hair, and illuminated the water; it gave her a chilling appearance.

The water formed into eight separate tentacles, and then she dispersed the creation. Katara lifted her hand, pulling all the water toward her body, and froze the water. She was encased in ice, one hand raised above her head and one leg slightly bent, so she looked like a dancer in a painting. Within seconds, Zuko saw the water around her melt from ice into water once more, and the whole structure fell apart, leaving Katara standing in a courtyard filled with water droplets.

He knew it was Katara, and even though he had seen her water bend a hundred times (and had even been on the receiving end of many of her attacks), he was fascinated.

With both arms, Katara raised a block of ice that was formed to look like a person. She drew the remaining water toward her again, this time in one long line. It twisted around her figure before she sent it flying into the ice structure, slicing an arm off.

She pulled the water back to her, and then pulled small bits of water onto her fingertips. With a flick of her hands, Katara had thrown ten ice points into the structure, cracking its front slightly.

Zuko noticed that Katara looked so focused while she was practicing; he perceived that she, like most benders, loved her element, and was more in touch with herself when bending. She, too, was probably thinking, the bending only a way to keep her body busy while she was deep in thought. When he was practicing fire bending, Zuko found that he could concentrate more, and the world was more at peace. He didn't doubt it was the same feeling for Katara.

'_She looks like a dancer,'_ he mused, watching as she twisted her body from form to form to complete yet another water bending technique. She was so graceful with her movements, so unlike an earth bender or a fire bender. Earth Bending is about force, while fire bending is all about power. Water bending, on the other hand, is defensive, flowing, and graceful.

With one arm, she had created a water shield, and then used the water shield to make yet another water whip. Katara spun on one foot, pulling the whip around with her, and she slammed it against the figurine. The force had punched a hole in the thick ice, and left the rest of the ice cracking and falling apart.

Water droplets fell from the ice.

Katara dispersed the ice formation in front of her, and pulled the water toward her again. With one fluid movement, Katara pushed all the water back to the grates that once held them. Only a small bit of water remained now, which he guessed came from the pouch she always carried with her.

She sat down on the ground, and held open her hand. A ball of water floated above her hand, and it was a brilliant white-blue color because of the clear moon.

She was facing him, but not looking at him. The moonlight illuminated her face, made her hair shine like the water she loved so much. He guessed even her blue eyes would be sparkling because of the moon that fueled her power.

He had changed his mind.

The moonlight didn't give her a chilling effect.

It made her shine.

**A/N: This chapter has absolutely no character interaction but yet it has major relationship development. Hehe. **


	8. Raving

**A/N: Day eight, number 12 – Raving. I don't Avatar or the challenges, just the ideas! **

**Read, review, and enjoy. **

"I can't believe you did that!" Katara cried, looking at Zuko.

Zuko sighed, regretting that he had allowed her to sit in the throne room and hear the problems facing his nation. At first, it had seemed that she was only an observer, but after the last encounter, he knew that she was ready to spew.

"Fire Law dictates that if a noble gives away land to someone of lesser rank, as long as said noble is alive, he may take the land back. I don't make the laws, Katara, I only enforce them. And I haven't made a decision yet, I sent them out so I would have time to think," he explained.

"You made your decision the second the case was delivered to you," she said angrily. "Why even give yourself time to think it over, you know you're going to say that the nobleman has the right to do whatever he wishes."

"I did not say that!" Zuko replied indignantly. "Anyway, Katara, it's the law of my nation! I just can't change it on a whim!"

She turned her fiery glare toward him, and he felt a chill go up his spine. "Really? You're the FIRE LORD, and you can't change an unfair law?"

Zuko ran his hands through his hair. "Who said it was unfair? The law was put in place so generous nobleman who saw that the land they had given away was being wasted and used for things like malicious rebels."

Katara snorted. "The law was put in place so the Fire Lord could placate his highest ranked nobles. And that man was a hard worker! The land was given to him rightfully after he finished a contract with the nobleman! It's not fair that the nobleman can decide on a whim that he wants it back!"

"You don't know the ways of my nation, Katara! It may be different in the _water tribe_ but here in the _fire nation_, we have to protect the interests of all citizens."

"And, pray tell, how are you protecting the interests of the worker, who earned his land, and then had it taken away? You don't see the heart of the problem, Zuko!"

Zuko was speechless, his mind blank from Katara's raving. He just stared at her, his head cocked slightly to the side, and his mouth slightly open.

She glared at him for a moment longer before turning away. "You know, I had thought you were going to be a good Fire Lord. You handled a lot of things well, Zuko. But this is not one of them. Obviously, because you've lived a life of luxury, you don't know how we working class-"

"You working class people? Really, Katara? You're going to count yourself among people who have worked their whole lives to achieve what little they had? You were a kid in your tribe when we first met, not having to work, and then you travelled with the Avatar. After that, you got to live in a mansion in Ba Sing Se with servants to do what you wanted! You could walk in to a place of business and they would just give you things, for helping to save the world. And then you come here, where servants do everything for you! You don't know the first thing about work! "

Once the words were out of his mouth, Zuko regretted them. Something about Katara's anger ignited his as well, and when angry, he was prone to say stupid things.

Really,_ really_ stupid things.

She had turned to face him, and her eyes were wide with anger and astonishment. When she spoke, her words were low, but heated, and he knew that this was a side of Katara he had never seen before. This tone of voice was worse than her loud, angry yelling.

"When I was living with Gran Gran, I had to do all the cooking and cleaning for the three of us. I took care of Sokka, and helped all the other villagers with their kids. I worked for hours to make sure everything was the way it was supposed to be; I was too young for that kind of work, but I did it anyway. When we left with Aang, it was one trial after another. We had to keep you off of our trails, and I was the one who took care of everyone, again. I cooked, I helped Aang, I made sure Appa ans Sokka were fed every night."

She paused, taking a deep breath, before continuing in the cold, tight voice she had been using.

"It was a lot of work, Zuko. Now, I'm sure being Fire Lord takes just as much work, thought, and preparation as any job. You work hard, and are rewarded. So was the worker. He worked for ten years for food, board, and hardly any wages. He earned that land. He built a house and started a family. And now, seven years later, the noble comes back, demanding for land that is rightfully his because of an unfair law that _you_ could change, and you refuse to do anything about it. He has kids, Zuko. He has a wife. They need the food the land produces to eat and make a living. And you're going to take that all away from him just because you don't want to upset the ancient laws of the nation."

She turned her back to him, and started to walk off.

"Where are you going?" he asked quietly, still astounded by her words.

She turned her head slightly, so he could see one side of her face. She was crying slightly, one or two tears trailing down her face.

"I don't want to be here when you ruin that man's life, Zuko."

**A/N: This is one of two parts. The second will be posted tomorrow! It will all flow together, I promiiiise. Thank you for reading! **


	9. Fire

**A/N: Day 9, number 28 – Fire. I hope you like it. It was really interesting to write, and I hope it's a different take on the prompt than you are thinking. Please review! **

"I don't want to be here when you ruin that man's life, Zuko."

Zuko watched as Katara walked out of his throne room. He was stunned, to say the least.

He never would have expected her to have such a reaction to a problem he was sure would be easy to solve. It was a matter of law, nothing to it. And yet, she had to go and blow up on him, which threw everything off balance. All because of Katara, he was actually going to have to think about this problem.

Should he enforce the ancient laws of his nation? Or should he protect the worker?

Zuko stared into the orange-red flames before him; watching the flames jump and sway helped to focus his mind and keep him thinking.

It would be at this point that Mai would have come in, wondering why he looked so distraught. _'Hurry and make a decision, Zuko. You can't keep them waiting. You need to get to the point."_

Mai herself was like that- very sharp, and to the point. In fact, she was like the small daggers that she used so much as a child. She was sleek and sharp, with a wit that could cut through a lot of situations. Mai could pierce him easily with a gaze, and was perfect with her aim. She knew just what to say, and what part of him it would affect the most. At first, Mai was always cold, but the more you got to know her, the more you held her, the warmer she became. Just like a metal weapon; cold to the first touch, but the metal eventually heats.

However, Katara was more like fire than metal.

Where Mai was cold at first, Katara was almost always warm. People were drawn to her, and usually would seek her out if they had a problem.

Katara, he realized, had a fire in her soul. It burned most brightly when she was angry. In an instant, it would explode from soft warmth into a destructive force. And, like fire, she had an ability to ignite his temper as well. When she was angry, those around her would start to feel her passions, almost as if she was catching their souls on fire with her words and actions.

She was hard to control, and hard to understand. He didn't know when she would flare up, but when she did, it was hard to miss. She would go on a rant and not care to whom it was directed. She just knew there was an injustice in the world, and she needed to do her best to right the wrong.

But the thing that reminded him most of the element was the way her words would unexpectedly burn him.

Just when he thought he had the upper hand, or there was nothing else she could do, she could lash out, and he would know he had done something wrong.

As a fire bender, he learned that you have to learn to control the element, and if you do something wrong or try to take a short cut, the fire will lash out and burn you. When he was learning, he used to burn his hands frequently by attempting to take a shortcut he had seen a master- or worse, Azula- use beforehand.

His teachers would chide him, saying that he needed to learn to understand the fire before he could tame it, and that he needed to be careful, or else it would burn him.

"_You cannot be complacent with your bending. Fire can also hurt you, not just your opponent, Prince Zuko," _one master had told him.

And wasn't this the same type of situation? Katara was the fire that, if he became too complacent with his style of ruling, would lash out and burn him. Could he survive being burned just because he didn't want to upset a man that had a infamous gambling problem?

"Send them in, please," Zuko said to the man at the door. The servant nodded his head, and opened the door, letting the two men walk in.

"I have made my decision," he announced. "Fire Nation law dictates that if a noble gives away land to someone of lesser rank, as long as said noble is alive, he may take the land back." The nobleman grinned, and the worker looked almost as if he was going to cry. "However, under further review, I have decided that this law is not in the best interest of this Fire Nation citizen, and as Fire Lord, I protect the interests of _all_ my citizens, not just the nobles.

"The worker is allowed to keep his land."

The nobleman stared, opened mouthed, as his Fire Lord. "But, as you said, ancient law dictates that since he is a man of lesser rank, that I-"

"I would like to take your rank away from you and bestow it on this worker, but I know that you will only complain more, and I wouldn't be able to take that. As it stands, you will give him 10 more acres of land by the end of the week for dragging this man into a civil suit simply because you needed to sell off more land to pay off debts."

The nobleman stood in shock for a few seconds, and then turned on his heel, storming out of the palace. The worker, however, bowed before his Fire Lord. "T-T-Thank you, sir. I t-thought for sure you were going to side with the noble," he added, his eyes trained on the ground.

"I was going to, at first," Zuko admitted. "But then I was informed that I needed… I needed to see the heart of the problem. After that, it was clear that this was the only right decision. You are a good man and a hard worker; you earned that land. It wouldn't be right to make you leave."

The man bowed once more, and walked out of the throne room. With the doors open, Zuko watched as the worker walked past Katara with a smile on his face, and she stared after him, confused. She looked back at Zuko, and he shrugged.

"What did you do?" she asked, walking into his throne room. "Did you… did you rule in favor of the worker?" she wondered, still staring at him incredulously.

Zuko smiled. "It was nothing."

**A/N: Another reflective chapter! AND CUTE AS WELL I HOPE! On a side note, I saw The Last Airbender today… I almost cried from laughing so hard. Until tomorrow, then!**


	10. I Chose You

**A/N: Day 10, prompt 29 – I Chose You. I hope you like it! PS I own nothing in the Avatar world. **

**Read, review, and enjoy, as always.**

"You don't have to do this, you know," Zuko said, looking over at Katara.

She was busy moving the glowing blue water over the sizeable burn on his upper shoulder. "You're the one who got distracted while sparring, Zuko. I thought you were some kind of fire bending master, shouldn't you have been able to block it?" she joked, smiling.

"It's not my fault I got distracted," he replied hastily.

She turned to look at him, the grin still evident on her face. "Oh? And whose fault was it that you weren't concentrating on the fire bender in front of you, and didn't block the fire? Hmmm?"

Zuko shrugged with his one free arm. "If it was anyone's fault, I'd say it was yours. I got distracted watching you waterbend- it's fascinating to me, I guess, since the style is so different from my own. But I've never really had a chance to study it, and when you are practicing, I get distracted. However, that's not what I was talking about."

Katara blushed, her eyes trained completely on Zuko's arm so he wouldn't see the color adorning her cheeks. "Then what were you talking about, Fire Lord?"

Zuko took a deep breath, and turned his face away from Katara.

"You don't have to stay here and keep me company. It's been nice, and I have enjoyed having someone else around the palace constantly, but I feel as though I am keeping you away from your family. I know… I know at first, it was because of him, but now it feels like you feel the need to take care of me, as well. I just…" he trailed off.

He hadn't wanted to have this conversation with her; he felt comfortable with Katara's presence, and he enjoyed talking to her. But he had seen her stare off into the distance when someone would bring up family, or cry slightly when she read a letter from Suki.

Zuko didn't want her to be miserable.

"Do you want me to leave?" she asked quietly, her facial expressions still invisible to him.

"What?" he asked, sitting up from his position on the bed. He twisted his body around to face her, but winced as soon as he put pressure on his burned arm. The water Katara had been using to heal his burn sprayed everywhere once he moved, and covered them both in a thin dusting of water particles.

Katara pushed him down, and drew the water back into an orb above his bare chest. "You, sir, need to stay still while I am healing you if you don't want another scar to add to your collection," she said, returning to her healing.

"That's not what I meant at all, Katara!" he said, still not meeting her eye. "I don't want you to leave, I just feel like I'm keeping you from your family. Like now you feel you have to talk to me and take care of me because I was kind to you. I don't want you to feel like you have-"

"I chose you, remember?" she asked, cutting him off. "I'm the one that chose to come and stay with you. You didn't ask me to come down here, Zuko."

He ran his free hand through his black hair, which he had taken out when he went to spar with the other firebender. "I know, but I still don't understand why you chose me, out of all the people who would have gladly taken you in."

Katara sighed. "If I had lived on Kyoshi Island with Suki and Sokka, it would have been miserable for me. They would have tried desperately to either push me back to Aang, or push me to meet someone new. Well, Suki would have, at any rate," she said, knowing her brother would have told her to swear off boys forever. "Suki would have also been constantly checking on me to make sure I was okay. I would have been smothered. I don't know if I could have taken that, right after I just broke up with the boy that changed my life. It would have driven me insane.

"As for my father, living in the Southern Water Tribe while I was still sad would have been torture for him. Everyone has to have a role in the village, and as a water bender, my role would be especially big. I can heal, I can provide this, I can do that. If I were depressed, I would have been useless, and therefore a burden.

"However, by living with you, you gave me the room I needed to think, Zuko. You didn't pressure me to do anything, and let me roam around as I wished. Plus, I wouldn't have been a burden, living here and not being able to provide anything. You gave me solace. You gave me the perfect escape."

She finished, and began to concentrate on her work once more.

Neither of them said a word. Zuko didn't want to say something else that could be classified as idiotic, and make her even more upset. And Katara was thinking on what she said, and her reasons for choosing to live with him.

"I'm done," she said a few minutes later, pushing the water toward a plant that was sitting in a corner of the room.

Zuko sat up. He stretched, and rotated his shoulder, amazed. "It feels great, Katara. Thank you," he said, turning to look at her.

She smiled. "It's the least I can do for someone as clumsy as you, Zuko."

"I am not clumsy! I'm just easily distrac- No, I'm not easily distracted either," he protested.

Katara laughed, and shook her head. "You are crazy, Zuko." She stood up and walked toward the door as Zuko pulled his shirt back on. "Oh, and I just want to tell you: I don't feel obligated to take care of you or talk to you. I want to do those things. I enjoy being here, with you."

She walked out of the room, and Zuko stared after her, his eyes wide with surprise.

**A/N: GEHH I need to stop writing these reflective (if you can call it that) chapters. It's like a whole line of them. I think this whole story is all about inflection! At any rate, I hope you liked it. I thought it was gooey, and hopefully the next one will be the adorable, cute, and funny chapter that I'm actually **_**good**_** at writing. Here's for hoping! **


	11. Sapphires

**A/N: Day 11, prompt number 1 - Sapphires. As usual, read, please review, and I hope you enjoy.**

It was dinner as usual. Katara sat directly across from Zuko at the table, and the plates were laid out in front of them. The dining room was lit by candles, and, as usual, she was laughing.

"It's not that funny, you know," he said pointedly.

Finally, her laughter came to an end, and Katara wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh, wow, that was hilarious. Yes, Zuko, I have had roast duck before. You must have forgotten that I lived in the Earth Kingdom for six years."

She continued for a few seconds making small giggling noises, and he just glared at her. "Oh, like you've never made a mistake before in your life!" he challenged, stabbing the duck with his fork.

Katara swallowed her bite, and shrugged. "Nope. Never. Always been perfect. It's a trademark of us waterbenders," she said with a straight face.

"Not once?"

"Nope."

"Never?"

"Nu-uh."

"You've got to be kidding me," he said.

The smirk on her face told him that yes, she had been lying. The smirk turned into a large grin, and that was followed by another outburst of laughter. "Of course, Zuko," she said inbetween giggles. "Of course I have made mistakes, just like everyone else. I am only human, you know. A woman, mind you, so I am less prone to making them, but human nonetheless."

"Such as?" he asked, gazing at her.

Katara bit her lip, deep in concentration. "Well…" she started, then took another bite of her duck. A few seconds later, she started up once more. "You have to remember the first time we met and I couldn't figure out how to bend the right way."

"Nope, I don't remember that. It sounds hilarious, though," he said.

"What do you mean you don't remember," Katara repeated while throwing her hands in the air angrily, thus covering Zuko with tea. They both sat completely still for a moment before he began to wipe his face off. Luckily, the tea had cooled to a point where it was now going to burn him, only warm his face slightly. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, jumping out of her chair and running over to him. Katara slid to a stop before him, and used waterbending to remove all the liquid from his face and drop it back into the cup.

"I don't want to drink it now, Katara. It's been all over my face!" he said.

She stepped back, and placed her hands on her hips. "Oh, so now the tea isn't good enough for you. All the tea that I just went through all the trouble of removing from your face-"

"After you so _graciously_ put it there," he interrupted.

She glared at him again, and Zuko noticed the way the candlelight caught her eyes, making them glitter like sapphires. He reddened slightly, thinking that the effect was quite pretty.

"It doesn't matter _how_ the tea got there, the fact of the matter is, I went through all the trouble to get it off your face, and now you are refusing to drink it. What? Is the tea not good enough for you? Skin contact too much? You've never used your hands to drink from a river before, or something?"

He rolled his eyes. "Geeze, Katara, you don't have to be so angry. I was simply saying, there's no point for me to drink this tea, I can just get a new glass-"

"Because it's not good enough for you!" she interrupted, throwing her hands in the air and dousing him with tea. "And that was on purpose! I'm not even going to help you this time! Let's see how you like being covered in tea, Zuko."

He stared at her again, a chuckle coming out of his throat. He couldn't help himself; for a twenty one year old, she was acting childish. And even though she was being childish, it was so cute, that he couldn't even find an ounce of anger in him to retaliate.

Katara crossed her arms over her chest. "What's so funny, there, Zuko?"

He picked up the napkin from his lap, and wiped the tea off of his face. It was a good thing he had his hair pulled up into the top-knot with his crown so the tea didn't get in his hair. "You act like waterbending is the only way to get liquid off of anything, Katara," he explained, still chuckling. "Like you've never even heard of a napkin before. It's adorably hilarious," he said, the word adorably slipping from his mouth without him noticing.

Her face reddened in embarrassment and pleasure. "I… Of course I've heard of a napkin before," she said, staring at the floor in mortification. "I just didn't think about using it, that's all."

"So much for women making fewer mistakes than men," he commented, still smirking. "It seems you have turned tonight's dinner into a comedy of errors."

Katara made a loud _hmmph_-like noise, and turned away from Zuko. She stomped back to her end of the table, and sat down, quickly returning to her dinner. The two ate in silence until their main course was taken away, and the dessert was served.

The servants thought nothing of the silence; they had witnessed enough dinners with the pair to realize this was commonplace.

After taking the first bite of her favorite Fire Nation dessert, a fruit tart, she looked over at Zuko. His face still held an amused expression, which made his eyes look like warm, melted gold. It was something she had come to notice over the past few weeks- Zuko was a very… good-looking man.

And when he smiled, he was downright handsome.

Zuko looked over the table to her face, and she turned away quickly, a blush burning on her cheeks. "So, the only mistake you can think of is the fact that you weren't the best waterbender before you had a master?" he asked. "You can't think of anything else that could possibly prove you are not perfect?"

"I might also have a _tiny_ problem with my temper," she admitted.

Both of them turned to stare at each other before her laughter flared up again, and Zuko grinned back at her.

"Yeah, I noticed."

**A/N: So I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I hope it shows. It could have been really serious, but I wanted it to be more fun and lighthearted than a lot of this story has been. I hope I stayed in character (with Katara easily angered and yet still prone to laughing and having fun, while Zuko only chuckles and grins) but I'm sure they're totally out of character. Sorry it's later than normal, my internet has been on and off all day. I hope the modem isn't dying. D; Anyway, thanks for reading!**

**And I want to give a special shoutout to those who have reviewed recently- Thank you so much Anonymous I Think, EatFoodZap, Aipom4, mysterywriter111, and the other unsigned reviews. Also, I really want to thank AnnaAza, FirWolf777, and Densharr for being loyal reviewers since the beginning! You guys are all amazing, and it means a lot that you like the drabbles.**


	12. Judgmental, Much?

**A/N: Day 12, Prompt 18 – "Judgmental Much?" Read, review, and enjoy! The hits and reviews keep me writing! **

Katara and Zuko were in Mai's garden, the normal place for them to be on a Tuesday afternoon. Katara was watering the plants using the waster from the fountain, and Zuko was on his knees, pulling weeds.

Usually, they would be talking, but today, the garden was filled with silence. It was a comfortable silence though, and neither of them seemed to mind that the other was off in space, thinking about something or another. Katara accidentally splashed Zuko with a small bubble of water, and he just wiped it off with a smile, returning to his work.

It was most definitely peaceful out here.

"You really do have it good, now, Zuko," Katara said offhandedly, pulling the water toward the group of Fire lilies. Zuko had told her this would be the last week they were in bloom until next year, and she wanted to make sure that none of them withered before their time.

He didn't even look at her before answering, "What do you mean?"

"Life here seems really peaceful, now. I'm sure during the war it was always hustle and bustle, but now it's just… calm."

"It's not as calm as one might think," he retaliated quickly.

Katara threw up her hands in defense, not that Zuko was actually looking at her. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant it seems really calm around the palace. My dad was the leader of our village, and when Sokka and I went to visit him earlier this year, he was really busy."

"Oh?" Zuko asked, looking at her with interest. "Are you saying I'm not busy?"

"I didn't mean it that way, either, Zuko! I'm just saying, my dad had to hear complaints from everyone in our tribe. Any time two people couldn't come to an agreement, he had to be consulted. With you, there are courts, and only disputes with nobles can be appealed to your judgment."

Zuko scoffed slightly. "So you think that I'm not important? The Fire Nation is a huge nation, Katara, I can't be expected to settle all the disputes. Not like in your _village_, you know."

"Judgmental, much?" Katara retorted, her anger getting the best of her briefly. "I was just saying, I must be nice to be able to concentrate on more than just the squabbles of every person in town, Zuko."

He blinked in surprise, clearly wondering how it had turned from a joke into an argument. But if there was one thing he had learned about Katara that he had to deem most important, it was this: If she is angry and looking for an argument, the best way to surprise and placate her is to be nice about it.

"You're right, Katara. It's actually really nice to be able to concentrate on more than just what my citizens are arguing about. It must be hard on your father; I respect him greatly for being able to deal with all of those arguments."

Katara stood, openmouthed, staring at Zuko. "You… you really think so?"

Zuko nodded. "Hakoda is a good man, and I do respect him. He also has two great children who have changed the world. I am lucky to know all three of you."

He had, at this point, returned to his de-weeding of the garden. Katara's cheeks turned pink from the compliment, and she was glad Zuko couldn't see.

"Katara, is the sun too much for you? Your cheeks are coloring," he said with a smirk on his face.

She smacked him on the back of the head with a whip of water, and then he looked up at her. "I just wanted to make sure that you weren't going to die of a heat flash or something, Katara," he said.

"Yeah right," she replied, bending down so she could sit next to him, having finished her watering a while ago. "But that you for the compliment, Zuko. It means a lot that you feel that way about my family."

It was his turn to blush, and he had to turn his head quickly so she wouldn't see. He only had a few more weeds before he was done, and then he wouldn't have an excuse to turn away from her.

"If it helps, my dad feels the same way about you. He respects you, I mean. You're a good leader, Zuko. You've helped to restore faith in the Fire Nation. There are people who are slowly coming around to the idea of world peace because of you and… Aang. You're a world leader, and you're good at it," Katara said, staring at the ground. I just thought I should tell you, you know, to return the compliment."

His blush intensified, and he felt like an adolescent. He was twenty three, for Roku's sake, he should not be acting like this. "Thank you, Katara. It means a lot to me that you think that."

She shrugged. "It's the truth, Zuko. Anyone would tell you the same. And Zuko, you really need to get out of the sun. Your face looks like it's been sunburned," she added with a mischievous grin.

He just smiled and shook his head as she walked off.

**A/N: Kayso – Internet is up and down all the time now. I hope we get it fixed because it's annoying to be doing something and then, bam. Plus, when it's down I get distracted by other stuff, mainly reading, and then forget to post drabbles. But anyway, I hope you liked it. I didn't have a lot of inspiration for it, and was going to make it a lot shorter, but I didn't. **


	13. Water

**A/N: Day 13, prompt 27 – Water. It will be similar to Fire, but I hope it's a different take on Zuko's character this time. As always, read, review, and enjoy!**

He had no idea that she was staring at him right now.

They were supposed to be meditating. Zuko had informed her that good fire benders would meditate before practicing, so they knew they would be in control. Katara had been intrigued, and asked to meditate with him one day before his usual fire bending work out. Of course, his one stipulation was that Katara would fight with him afterward, to which she hesitantly agreed.

He had told her a few days earlier that always practicing with a fire bender was too easy because he could block it easier and control it. So she had responded that he should fight someone with the natural opposite element of fire, which would be much more of a challenge. She, however, had forgotten about it by the next morning, and so when she asked to meditate a few days later, he thought she was challenging him.

So now she was in a field, staring at the current Fire Lord.

She would have been meditating, but she found that her mind was racing too much to calm it down enough to properly meditate. So she opted, instead, to keep her eyes open and focused on Zuko.

His hair was down, which she thought was a nice change from how she normally saw him. His hair was wavy and midlength, similar to how it had been when he joined their fight against the Fire Lord. Katara decided that she liked Zuko when his hair was down, because it made him seem more relaxed, more friendly, and more normal.

But she wasn't paying attention to his hair. Nor was she paying attention to his pale, muscular arms, which were shown because of his sleeveless training top. No, she was focused on his hands, which were resting over his cross-legged lap.

One hand completely covered the first made by another, and as he meditated, she could see him squeeze his first tightly.

Underneath his calm, lucid exterior, a storm raged. He may put on a show of being cool and collected, but she knew that there were things in Zuko's heart, scars that had not yet been healed by time, that had been left from his childhood.

In a lot of ways, she guessed, he was like the ocean.

Usually, he was calm, with just a hint of something happening below him. If you were to only look at the surface, you would never know that there were thousands of things going on beneath. You would just see the occasional wave, and think that maybe this man had something going on.

And, like the ocean, when Zuko was angry, he would rage and churn. It reminded her of the monsoons that would she would sometimes hear had struck in the Fire Nation. His anger was frightening, and if he let himself get too carried away, it would cause serious problems. But if he kept it controlled, as he attempted to do with meditation, there would only be the occasional wave.

Zuko was also mysterious. Inside of him are depths that cannot be seen from the distance he kept most people. Katara realized that from her position, she could see the surface and some of the ocean life, but she would never see the depths beneath.

She thought that karma had chosen the right element for everyone based on their personalities. Aang was most definitely similar to air- he could be warm and beezy one second, not caring what was going on, but in the next he would be cold and serious, trying to fulfill his duties. Aang was flighty, as wanted to see everything and do it all. He was an air bender, with come qualities of other elements, as well.

Toph was tough, and stood her ground. She wasn't afraid to use the force she had.

Even though he couldn't bend, she even thought that Sokka fit the weapon of his choice. Sokka was sharp and swift, but if he wasn't 100% confident with himself, he could be easily deflected and defeated.

She had once thought that Zuko was like fire- angry and destructive.

However, he had proved her wrong. It was strange to her that a natural born fire bender could remind her so much of the element that she held dear, but it was hard to ignore it once she noticed. He was nothing like fire, she could see now. He was a swift and flowing river or a raging monsoon in the ocean. Zuko could be as cold as ice one second, or as enjoyable as a nice, warm bath.

He could have been a water bender.

Katara closed her eyes, her mind falling into a slow, comforting rhythm as she began to compare, in her mind, the ways that Zuko was like water, the element she loved. She found it relaxed her, and her thoughts soon emptied themselves from her head.

"Katara?"

She cracked her eye open what felt like only a second later. "Yes, Zuko?"

"Have you finished meditating? Do you feel more relaxed?" He was already standing and stretching, preparing for their fight.

Katara nodded. "Thank you for showing me how fire benders prepare before training. It really did relax me, and I ended up finding some things out about myself. Making realizations I hadn't known before," said Katara as she stood up.

"Oh? And what realizations would those be?"

"It's not important right now. It's more of a self discovery thing, you know? Maybe I will tell you one day."

Zuko just shrugged, and got into his fighting stance. Katara grinned, and drew water from her uncorked pouch. The two began their battle, but even as she fought, Katara was still remembering her realization.

Yes, Zuko was like water. And she really, _really _liked water.

**A/N: I hope you liked it! I think it's starting to become clear how Katara feels about Zuko, at least. Tomorrow should be a fun one to write! **


	14. Maniac

**A/N: Day 14, prompt 14 (Awesome sauce!) – Maniac. Read. Review. Enjoy.**

Once you admit something to yourself, it becomes impossible to ignore. You start to notice evidence that proves your hypothesis correct. You start to imagine and enjoy the situations you find yourself in.

"Zuko, you don't have to do this. I am perfectly capable of shopping on my own. I mean, you are the Fire Lord for Roku's sake, you should be doing important things!" The smile on Katara's face, however, directly contrasted with the words she spoke.

Zuko merely shrugged, saying, "It is always nice for me to come out and visit the town. This is just a good excuse. And anyway, no one will know who I am. I'm blending in with the other citizens."

She snorted with laughter. "Zuko, despite not being in your robes and letting your hair hang freely, I think the demeanor and, oh, maybe the scar give it away?"

She was right, of course; almost everyone in the town square was staring at him while trying to be inconspicuous. Some were whispering, some were pointing, and some younger girls were giggling and eyeing him hungrily.

Zuko glanced around, and grinned sheepishly. "You're right, maybe I don't blend in as well as I thought I did."

Katara rolled her eyes playfully, and went back to looking at the stall in front of her. Zuko was standing some distance away from her, examining another stall.

In an effort to get some time to herself so she could think without her biggest distraction, Katara had told Zuko that she wanted to go shopping for different clothes and Fire Nation jewelry (which, admittedly, she did like a lot more than the jewelry sold in the Earth Kingdom). She was hoping he would be so revolted by the idea of shopping, or realize he was busy, and let her go by herself.

But Zuko, being Zuko, had told her that it would be a great idea if they were to go together. One fourth of her mind was disappointed that she wouldn't get the alone time, but the other three fourths had been in an uproar about spending time with Zuko.

At that point, it had been obvious to her what she had suspected for a week or two: She liked him. She was attracted to him.

Which had surprised her greatly once she realized it; it had only been a few months since she had broken up with Aang, but in that time, she had found someone new. Someone she had known for years, but was only just beginning to understand.

As soon as she realized that, though, she also began to realize that to stay, she would have to be insane.

She glanced over at the man in question, and saw him looking at small daggers with golden hilts. '_Typical male'_, she thought with a small smile.

Out of the corner of her eye, however, she saw two of the giggling girls walk toward him with smiles on their faces. She could feel the jealousy well up inside of her, but she tried her best to ignore it. She turned away, and focused back on the jewelry in front of her.

That was one of the reasons why she knew it was crazy to be falling for Zuko: he was the Fire Nation's most eligible widow, literally. He had a choice of any girl he wanted. And if he was going to marry again, he would choose someone from his own nation.

Even now, though, Katara doubted if Zuko was even ready for a relationship. He was torn up after Mai; he loved Mai with his entire heart. She remembered the year after Mai's death, and the look Zuko had in his eyes, as though there was no soul in the body. She knew it would have been hard on him to lose Mai, and he probably wasn't looking for another wife.

In the back of Katara's mind, though, a small voice was telling her that she had made him smile, and that she was helping Zuko. That with her presence, she was making life easier and more enjoyable for him.

No, that was a conceited thought. She couldn't heal the broken feelings in his heart. Even as a master waterbender , she couldn't heal _that _type of pain_._

"Madam?" the shopkeeper said, drawing Katara out of her thoughts. "You have been staring at that bracelet for a while now, would you like to buy it?"

"I…" she stuttered, looking from the woman's face to the bracelet in her hand. "Yes, I would like to buy it! How much does it cost?"

"Well, that piece will be about three silver and one gold coins."

Katara opened her small pouch of Fire Nation currency that Zuko had given her, and looked inside. That was good, she had enough to get the bracelet, but it meant that she would have to limit the amount of clothing she bought.

On second though, maybe she shouldn't buy this bracelet. It's not like she really _needed_ it, anyway.

"Actually-"

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder, and a tingle travelled up her spine. Katara looked up in surprise to see Zuko standing next to her.

"I'll get it for her," he said, handing the woman the currency needed. The woman stared at him in slight disbelief, and the nodded.

Yes, Katara would have to be insane to stay here with him, especially when she felt this strongly about him.

It was a good thing that, at the moment, Katara was feeling like a maniac.

**A/N: So, I don't think this is exactly a drabble story. It's more of a collection of one shots. Or, actually, a story. Holy crap. A shorter than normal story that follows prompts. Yes, that's it. Well, I hope you liked it! Katara is a smart cookie for realizing her feelings! Until tomorrow, folks.**

**Rai**


	15. Fiery Orange Hair

A/N: Day 15, prompt 6 - Fiery Orange Hair. Sorry it's late, the modem completely died last night, so I'm at the library now. I hope you enjoy and another update will be tonight, I hope!

When Katara remembered the death of her mother, all she could think about was the soot mixing with snow, and the man who threw her out of the tent. She remembered seeing the man years later, old, fragile, and willing to sacrifice the life of his mother.

She remembered how unfair it was, that this man took away the one woman who meant to much to her, and he didn't even care what he had done.

When she and Zuko had found that man, she knew she would never be able to forgive him. He had taken away something that she had needed, and had scarred her for life.

It was 3 in the morning on the anniversary of her mother's death, and Katara had just woken up from a nightmare. All she could see was a Fire Nation soldier, whose identity would change from the man, to Azula, to Ozai, to others, and then fire.

Lots of fire.

She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to rid herself of the image.

"It was only a dream," she told herself, a ritual that had never helped, not once in all the years she had been trying to forget.

Katara swung her legs over the side of the bed, and climbed out. She straightened her nightgown, and decided that she would rather walk around the palace barefoot than put on slippers. The coolness of the tile would help to offset the heat, which was stifling her.

She wandered around, walking from corridor to corridor, and pushing open random doors. She made sure not to wander down into the servant's quarters, so she would not wake them on accident. Once on her walk, Katara saw a couple sitting in a courtyard outside. She vaguely recognized them, and as they ran off into the night, she decided she didn't particularly care.

"It was only a dream, get a grip, Katara," she muttered.

She kept walking, returning from the humid air outside to the almost as warm air on the inside of the palace. She walked through the halls, losing herself to her thoughts. Something about her nightmare had really shaken her up, and she was on edge.

A flicker of fire from a torch on the wall sent chills up her spine and panic into her heart. She was being ridiculous, she knew, but it never failed that on the anniversary of her mother's death, she became skittish and frightened.

Katara pushed through an unknown door, and found herself in a large room. The room was lit up by a giant line of fire, and in the middle of the flames sat a man. His face was cast in shadows, and it looked like he had fiery-orange hair.

Her whole body pulsed with fear, and she turned quickly to run out the door. She couldn't tell who it was or who they were, but she felt as though they were going to kill her. All Fire Nation soldiers were out to kill her. Just like her mother.

Zuko turned after hearing someone coming in through the servants entrance, and watched as Katara's face contorted with horror. What was she doing here in the middle of the night?

"Katara?" he yelled as she ran out of the door. "Katara, wait!"

But she didn't listen to him. Her fear overtook her rationality, and she tore down the hallways, trying to get as far away from the person, whom she still hadn't identified as Zuko. All she knew was the fear that was beating in her heart, and she had to get away from whoever the assassin was. He wanted to torture her, to kill her…

Part of her mind was still trying to forget about the nightmare, and her fear made her forget where she was and who she was with.

Zuko had jumped out of his throne and ran after her. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew that she was scared, and that he needed to help her. He followed the sounds of her footsteps, and hoped that she would stop soon.

Katara kept running until she found herself running out of breath. She slipped into a room that was empty, and sat down on the floor. She pulled her knees into her chest, and wrapped her arms around them. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

She was scared out of her mind. The nightmare and the man surrounded by fire kept spearing behind her closed eyelids. Her heart pounded in fear, the same fear she had had the day her mother died. She shivered.

Who was that man? Why was he chasing her? Why can't they just leave her alone?

Everything repeated itself time and time again in her head.

Katara felt like she had been sitting there for days; she had calmed down slightly and opened her eyes. She was staring straight ahead, waiting for the man who had been chasing her to come and kill her.

The handle on the door shook, and the door swung open. The man entered, and Katara felt herself tense up all over again. Her heart began to race, and she stood up, ready to run again. But his hand caught her arm, and he spun her toward him.

"Katara, what's wrong?" he asked.

"G-get away from me, murderer!" she screamed. His eyes widened in shock, but he didn't let go of her. He gripped her other arm with his hand, and used it to pull her toward him.

Zuko wrapped his arms around Katara tightly. At first she struggled, but then, she returned the hug. She felt her fear melt away in his strong arms. This man couldn't be a murderer. There was no reason to be afraid. This man wanted to keep her safe, didn't he? Katara took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. Yes, her dream had made her irrational.

"Now, will you tell me what's going on?" he asked after a minute or two.

"I… I was scared," she said, burying her head into his chest. "I… the nightmare and… then… fire… your hair… the running… my mom… the fire…" she said. "I was just… so scared, and then there was the fire, and I wasn't thinking, and I'm so sorry, Zuko," she continued. "I feel like an idiot."

"Shhh," he soothed. "Everything is okay, it's all okay. No one's going to hurt you while I'm here. You're safe with me, Katara. I promise."

**A/N: I hope you liked it! And again, sorry about the lateness... I can't control to stupid modem. D; AND WTH! NOW FANFICTION WON'T LET ME UPDATEEEEEE.**


	16. Sunshine

**A/N: Day 16, prompt 4 – Sunshine. This one is sad. D: Read, review, and enjoy.**

"Katara!"

She turned, and saw Zuko striding up to her. She smiled, her heartbeat quickening with every step he took toward her. "What are you doing out here?" he asked. "I usually don't see you in the arena."

"Oh, you know. I just felt like walking around and seeing the sites…" she trailed off, her eyes moving from his face to the arena. _'For the last time,'_ she added in her mind. She hadn't exactly told Zuko, yet that she was leaving, but she knew she would have to, eventually.

After the incident earlier this week, and the letter she had received from Suki, Katara knew that she would have to leave. It was too dangerous to stay, especially if she felt this way. It's not like she would freeload off of Zuko forever.

It would be better this way. Or, at least, that's what she told herself.

"So," Zuko announced, changing the subject after a moment of silence. "You got a letter from Suki? What did it say?"

"Nothing much," Katara said. "Sokka is still as strange as ever. The Avatar came to visit, and he tried to say something about me to Sokka. I don't think it was bad," she added quickly, seeing the look in Zuko's eyes. "Aang… he's not like that. Suki said he wanted to know where I was and if I was okay, and Sokka got all big brother protective of me and told Aang that he needed to lie off and stop trying to stalk me. Aang kept on trying to ask about me while Sokka kept getting all defensive and Sokka-ish, I guess, until finally Suki had to ask Ty Lee to, uh, calm him down. So the confrontation ended with Sokka whimpering on the ground."

Zuko chuckled, and shook his head. "That sounds like your brother, all right. So, Ty Lee, Suki, and Sokka are all doing well?"

"Yep," Katara said, her eyes again leaving his face and travelling around the arena. She was neglecting to tell him the rest of the letter… That part was most definitely for her eyes only. "Well, I should get going. I haven't felt well all morning, and I was hoping some air would help, but so far all it's done is make me feel worse."

His eyes lit up with concern, and Katara's guilt cut into her heart. "Do you need me to call for the physician? If you're not feeling well, you should probably see him."

She smiled, still feeling guilty. "No thank you, I can manage.. I think all I need is a good rest, and I'll be fine in the morning. Goodbye, Zuko!" Katara meant it, but she knew that Zuko had no idea what she meant. She walked off in the direction of her room, still feeling horrible for lying to him.

"See you later, Katara," he called after her.

Hours later, when the sun had gone down, Katara pulled on her blue gown, and picked up her bag. On her desk were two letters. The first was from Suki, and it was the one that had planted this idea in her mind. It was the letter that confirmed what she already knew: She should leave.

"_And Katara- you asked me what you should do about this Fire Nation guy that you like. I'm not that great at guy advice, which you should know, but I asked Ty Lee about it as well (without names, of course… I don't want Sokka finding out that you might like another guy), and she gave me a few pointers._

"_It sounds like you do like him, for now. She says that this is normal, guys in the Fire Nation are generally smokin' hot (her words, not mine). But she also says to beware- You just got out of a six year relationship with the Avatar. Chances are this guy is just a rebound. If he does like you, as you are suspecting, then just think about his feelings for a second: Suddenly you realize that you don't like him as much as you thought, or you only felt that way because he was so nice to you after your Lee says that you might realize you still do love Aang, and then leave this man for him in a heartbeat. That will break his heart. Don't let him be the rebound, because that will hurt him more than anything else you could do, besides probably cheat on him. _

"_That's all I have to say. But, Katara, it sounds like the guy you are talking about is, well, Zuko. And if it is Zuko… He lost his wife, and if he is starting to have feelings for you, they are probably genuine. If you were to leave him after two or three years, Katara, his heart may very well not be able to stand it anymore. You'll hurt him badly, especially if you are unsure. Katara, I love you like a sister, and my advice is this: Don't risk breaking what little world Zuko has left. Leave the palace now while he can still recover. Please._

_With great love,_

_Suki"_

Katara rolled up the piece of paper, and slipped it into the bag with her other belongings. The other letter was to Zuko, from her, explaining what she was doing and where she was going. It was held together by the bracelet he had bought her when they went to the market. On the top was his name, clearly visible.

She left it outside of his room, hoping that he was the one who discovered it. She imagined how this would affect him, but she knew that it would be even worse if she waited. Suki and Ty Lee were right; she couldn't rick breaking Zuko's heart again.

As Katara walked out of the front gates, she turned once more to look at the place she was leaving behind. She would always cherish the memories of watering the garden in the sunshine, or healing Zuko's wounds, or arguing with him over dinner. She smiled sadly to herself, and, for the last time, turned her back on the palace, and headed to the outskirts of town where a carriage would take her down to the ocean, and a ship would take her to a port in the Earth Kingdom, and then from the port to the Southern Water Tribe.

Katara never was one for a lot of warm sunshine, anyway.

**A/N: DON'T KILL ME PLEASE! Okay, now that that is out of the way, I just want to say, don't get too angry. It's for the best, really. I swear. See ya tomorrow! **

**Rai out.**


	17. Gone

**A/N: Day 17, prompt 23 – Gone. Lisait, revue, et appréciez. (At least, I think that would be how you saw it in French. Oh well.)**

The sun rose over the horizon as Katara boarded the ship leaving from the Fire Nation.

"_Zuko will be reading the letter now,"_ she thought. She hoped he wouldn't be too angry, and that he would understand almost all of her reasons. Katara hoped he didn't pick up on the fact that she felt like she was tearing out her own heart as she wrote it. He probably didn't even feel the same way, and if he realized how she felt, who knows what would happen.

The man checked her passport, and admitted her on board. It was for the best. She wouldn't be freeloading anymore. He couldn't be hurt.

Right.

She turned back to look at the island as the ship pulled away. "Goodbye, Zuko," she whispered.

A single tear trailed down her cheek.

Miles away, the Fire Lord was rising from his bed fairly early, woken by a sound. He could have sworn he heard Katara saying something, but as he opened his eyes, he realized it must have been part of a dream. There was no way he could have heard Katara from her room. He looked out of one of his windows, and saw the sun barely rising over the horizon.

He rose from his bed, and pulled on his robes. In a few simple motions, his hair was in an elegant top knot, and he was slipping in the crown.

A known echoed throughout his bed chamber, and as soon as he gave the word, a servant was walking in, carrying some sort of scroll. Keeping it bound in the middle was a bracelet, one that he recognized very well.

"That's Katara's bracelet," he said, eyeing the servant. The woman bowed, and held the object out for him. He took it from her hands, and dismissed her. He slipped the bracelet off the paper, and unraveled the scroll. His breath caught in his through as soon as he saw Katara's elegant script covering the page. This could not be good.

"_Zuko-_

"_I am sorry not to be able to say this in person. Despite being loud and relentless when it comes to arguing with you, I find that I am a coward when it comes to telling you what is truly on my mind. I hope that you will be able to imagine me saying this to you, and that it will be enough._

"_Before anything else, I want to say that I am more than grateful to you for what you have done. Taking me in when I didn't want to go anywhere else without question, and helping me through a hard time in my life proves more than anything that you are a friend that I could not imagine loosing. You turned me from a crying little girl back into myself, and I am thankful. _

"_But the fact of the matter is I cannot keep living with you, Zuko. You can't be expected to support me forever. It was selfish of me to even ask you to take care of me in the first place, and then I abused the kindness you showed me by staying for as many months as I have. I enjoyed myself, and I will miss you more than you will ever know. However, Suki was right- it's unfair of me to even begin to believe I could live here for any longer. _

"_I am going back to the Southern Water Tribe to help my father. They need another master waterbender to teach the influx of children with bending abilities, and my healing will also be useful. It's for the best, and although it is not something I am looking forward to, I will endure it._

"_But Zuko- Don't come after me, please. I know you well enough that you will want to come running after me, right now, and tell me that I am not a burden and it's okay if I continue to live there. You will tell me that I don't need to go back to my village. I expected this. I am already on a ship to the Earth Kingdom, and you have a country to run. You can't take time to come looking for me, a water tribe peasant._

"_I will miss you, Zuko. Maybe, after you are settled down with a new wife, you will allow me to visit you once more. Again, I want to thank you so much for everything you have done for me and everything you have given me. I wanted to take the bracelet as a reminder of my time, but I thought it would be unfair. Goodbye, Zuko._

"_With love,_

_Katara"_

Zuko felt his anger and sadness rising. Why would she think she was a burden? What about their conversations had given her the idea that she should leave? What had Suki told her?

And, more importantly, what did Katara mean by after he was settled down with a new wife?

He looked at the bracelet she had returned to him. He could remember that day well. Despite how much he tried to pay attention to anything else, all he could look at was Katara, and whatever she was doing. Even when the other two girls walked up to him, and tried to flirt with him, he had ended up blowing them off to go over to her side.

Why the hell did she think he wanted anyone but her?

"Fire Lord?" came a voice from the doorway. "Your breakfast is rea-"

"I don't want breakfast!" he yelled, turning on the maid. "I don't want anything!" He ripped the crown from his head and slammed it down onto the table. "Just leave me alone!"

The maid gulped in fear, scared to say what she knew she must. "But sir, you have duties to attend to…" she trailed, choosing to look at the floor instead of Zuko.

"Cancel them all! I don't care! Today, I don't want anything to do with this damned world! Just leave me alone!" He yelled. The maid nodded, bowed, and shut the door behind her.

In a surge of anger, Zuko sent a fireball roaring toward nothing in particular. It went a few feet, and then curled slightly upward, disappearing into nothing.

'_She's gone,'_ Zuko thought, reading the note again. _'Just like Mai, she's disappearing from my life.'_

**A/N: There's that chapter! I was getting all rawr angry at the end, too, just from writing. I need to stop getting into Zuko's emotions. I wanted him to set the letter on fire but that wouldn't work for the plot. Rawrrr!**


	18. Stormier

**A/N: Day 18, prompt 30 – Stormier. I hope I convey the emotions of both parties involved in this chapter! Read, review, and please, **_**please**_** enjoy!**

The flames in front of him raged. Zuko was slumped slightly in his throne, glaring at the door, almost daring it to open.

He was not in the mood to be doing this, today, but he knew he must. She was right about that, at least. She may be able to run all over the place at the drop of a hat, but he had to stay and run his country.

"Fire Lord?"

"What?" he snarled, looking the way of the man that had just walked in.

The man cringed slightly, but continued on with what he needed to say. "Lunch is ready."

Zuko stood, and the flames rose up with him. The man couldn't even see the Fire Lord until Zuko parted the flames, and walked down the steps. The man bowed as he walked past, and Zuko moved around him without even a second thought.

A maid led him into the dining room, and Zuko sat down at the table. One girl poured him a glass of tea, and he began helping himself to the food in front of him.

"It's much quieter in here without Miss Katara," one girl whispered to her friend as they stood at the edge of the room. They were the ones assigned to dining room duty tonight, something which both of them loudly protested earlier this morning. They were told that "someone had to do it," and they were usually "begging for dining duty".

"Yes, well, the air is also a lot more charged without her here, as well," the other girl retorted.

Zuko moodily stabbed into his sea slug tentacle. As he took a bite, he sent a glare the way of the girls, and that quieted them down.

For about two seconds. "I mean, his eyes are even stormier than they were before she came!" the first girl noted. "He looks like he could kill someone in two seconds flat."

"She must have had a huge impact on him," her friend agreed, now staring at Zuko. "Although, the anger does give him a bad boy look, which some might find pretty attractive."

"Depends on your taste, I guess. I liked him much more when he was smiling; I hadn't seen him smile before Miss Katara came to visit."

The other girl raised an eyebrow at her friend, almost said something, and then a look of understanding crossed her face. "Oh, yes, that's right! You came after Lady Mai passed! Well, about two years ago, he was always pretty cheerful, and then his wife died," the girl whispered. "After that he went in a state of depression. Like, imagine the past two days, when he was just lying in bed or pacing around his room- but about twenty times worse. It was heartbreaking, to say the least. But Miss Katara seemed to ease some of his pain."

"Only now," the first said, looking at Zuko with pity. "She seems to have made it worse."

Zuko's head shot up, and he glared at the two maids. They both stared at him, completely silent. "Do you two have to whisper all during my lunch? I'm trying to eat in peace here, and all I can hear is your faint words! What were you two talking about, anyway?" he shouted.

The girls simultaneously paled. "Her boyfriend," they said at the same time.

Zuko quirked an eyebrow at them, obviously not pleased with their answer.

"What I meant was," on girl said, "We were both talking about our, um, boyfriends. Sorry, Fire Lord. It's won't happen again."

"It better not," Zuko snarled, and then stared down at his plate. "I'm finished now. Take this all away. If there is urgent business that just cannot be handled without me, I will be in the garden. Otherwise, leave me alone."

The girls nodded, and got to cleaning up the dishes on the table.

Zuko stood, and he glanced down at the seat Katara always sat in. _'I wonder what she is doing right now,' _Zuko thought. _"I hope she reached the village safely.'_

Katara stepped off the boat from which she had arrived, and saw the village. It looked larger than it had boon when she left it seven years ago. With a sigh, she heaved her bag onto her shoulder and started her rather short journey to her home, along with two northern water tribe members.

She walked mostly in silence, her heart filled to the brim with what felt like a hurricane of sadness. It was stormier in her soul than it been when she made up her mind to leave Aang; in fact, she hadn't really felt this kind of pain in her life.

She did not like it.

As soon as the travelers came into sight of the tribe, a few people came running out to greet them. A woman she had never seen before came to greet the Northern water tribe members. Ther only other person to come out was someone Katara recognized. Her father was standing at the entrance to the village, watching her.

"I have missed you, my beautiful Katara," he said.

"I missed you too, Dad," she said, returning the hug.

The father and daughter walked into the family igloo, and sat down across from each other.

"Would you like some tea?" Hakoda asked, offering a cup to his daughter.

"Yes, please. Thank you, dad. I'm hoping you got the letter I sent earlier, telling you of my plans and why I decided to come back?"

Hakoda smiled at his daughter. "Of course, Katara; how else would I have known what ship you were coming on?" Katara blushed slightly in embarrassment, and Hakoda chuckled.

"Actually, dad, there was something I wanted to talk to you about," she said. She gripped the cup of tea she was holding. "It's about… Fire Lord Zuko. You know that I've been staying in his palace since I broke things off with Aang, and I need your advice on something."

"Of course, Katara. What do you need?"

With tears in her eyes, Katara explained the situation to her father, who simply sat and listened. He asked questions when he needed things clarified, and smiled sadly when her laughter mixed with her tears.

"The thing I wanted to ask you, dad, is… if I made the right choice. In leaving, I mean. It was the right thing to do, wasn't it?" For the first time since she began her story, she looked her father in the face.

"Only you can decide if the actions you took were right or wrong, Katara. However, I can offer you my opinion, if you would like to hear it," he said. She nodded, wanted to hear what he had to say. "It sounds like you really loved this man. More than you ever loved Aang."

And that was the answer Katara was afraid to hear.

**A/N: Done! For now, at least. I hoped you liked it! Until tomorrow, folks. **


	19. Bones

**A/N: Day 19, prompt 24 – Bones. Read it. Review it. Enjoy it.**

"You have a visitor, Fire Lord," a servant said after knocking on the large doors.

Zuko regarded at him with neither anger nor care; over the past week he had resigned himself to the fact that she was _not_ coming back. The flames in front of him were less than an inch high, and hardly flickering. "I don't want to see anyone. Ask if they can reschedule until tomorrow? I should be feeling more open to people then."

It was a lie; both the servant and the master knew this.

"She says that you should be happier to see her, and not turn her away."

Zuko's eyes jumped from the ground in front of him to the man, taking him in for the first time. Could it be…? It would be impossible, he told himself. But he couldn't stop himself from hoping it was her.

Maybe, just maybe, she would walk through those doors.

"Her name?"

The servant took in a deep breath. "It's miss Ty Lee, Fire Lord."

He felt his heart deflate, and his emotions jump back down to nothing.

"Send her in," Zuko said, his voice empty once more. Empty like the palace, which resembled a skeleton. The pillars were bones, the floors and ceilings skin stretched taunt.

There was life in the palace, but without _her_, there was no heart.

Ty Lee bounded in merrily, a huge smile plastered on her face. "Fire Lord," she said, bowing deeply. Zuko gave a slight bow of the head to acknowledge her presence. As Ty Lee rose back to a standing position, her nose wrinkled, as if she smelled something foul. "Zuko, your aura is such a dingy gray! It needs to be pink, like mine!"

"I don't think a pink aura would suit me very well, Ty Lee," he said with a monotone voice.

Ty Lee plopped herself on the ground, sitting cross legged and grinning up at Zuko. "Well any color is better than the shade of gray you have! Even the light blue it was the last time I came showed you still felt something."

"Feelings are useless."

The girl in front of him scoffed. "Don't say that, silly Zuko! Feelings are not useless! What in the world would give you the idea that feelings are useless?"

Zuko focused his eyes on her face. He was still sitting, slumped, in his throne, and his hand was supporting his head by means of his cheek. "Ty Lee, I'm pretty sure that my emotions only seem to hurt me more than they help me."

"However, emotions are what make you human, Zuko!" Ty Lee said, still grinning.

"Then I guess I don't want to be human. I'd rather just be empty on the inside," he said.

Ty Lee had changed positions so she was holding herself upside down by her hands, instead of sitting. "Jeez, Zuko, what happened to you to make you so sour all the time? Suki said that Katara's last letter made you out to be actually having fun!"

Zuko's eyes narrowed. Ty Lee gasped as Zuko's aura changed from dingy gray to flaming red in a matter of seconds. "Maybe, if _she_ hadn't left, I still would be happier! Maybe, if _she_ didn't get this damn idea in her head that she was going to hurt me, or it would be _better_ to leave, then I would still be fine! You want to know what happened? Katara left, and she took every ounce of good emotions I had! All she left behind were anger, sadness, and hopelessness. But after I boxed those away, I was left with nothing!"

His rant was stopped midway by a muffled thud. Zuko calmed down just enough to see Ty Lee lying on her back, staring at the ceiling, and crying.

"Uh…" he mumbled as he tried to figure out what was going on. "I'm… sorry?"

"I should be the one that's sorry, Zuko! I made your aura dingy! It's my fault!" Her words were choked with tears.

He stepped off his platform and headed next to where she lay. "No, Ty Lee, it's not your fault. Katara… she's the one who left. And it's my fault for taking it so personally. She was just a friend, that's all. I shouldn't get so upset over-"

"No, no, NO!" He stopped midsentence, and looked down at the tearful brunette. She was slowly picking herself up, and in a matter of seconds, was standing next to him. "Suki asked me about a problem 'a friend' of hers was having a guy from the Fire Nation. I knew Katara was here, and I thought it was her, but I didn't know who the guy was! And I told her that she shouldn't play with your feelings, because you might just be a rebound…"

Zuko blinked in surprise as Ty Lee continued to speak and cry.

"And now I find out that it was you all along and I was wrong, Zuko! You weren't a rebound from Aang. You love her! And she loves you, only now she thinks that it's not a real love, and it's all my fault! How can I ever make it up to you?" She turned her teary eyes on him, and he couldn't help but think of a puppy dog that had just been scolded.

"Ty Lee, in the end, it was Katara's decision. If she wants to come back, she can-"

Ty Lee stopped crying immediately. "How would she know that? Even if she knows she loves you, even if she realizes, she thinks you hate her! Zuko! If you love Katara, you have to go after her! Go after her and bring her back!"

He was taken aback by the forcefulness in her usually cheery voice.

"I… okay, I will…" he sputtered.

"Good," Ty Lee replied. "Now my aura can go back to being pink, since I helped such a dear friend with his love life."

"Er, thank you, Ty Lee," he said.

She grinned at him. "Not a problem, Fire Lord!"

But instead of looking at his face, Ty Lee was examining his aura- and was glad to find it a golden-yellow, the color of a hopeful soul.

**A/N: I LOVE TY LEE. I just thought I'd tell you. She's so peppy and happy… I hope you liked it! Until tomorrow, friends!**


	20. Truthfully

**A/N: Day 20, prompt 21 – Truthfully. I hope you like it! Read and Review, loves.**

Zuko was more than amazed at the efficiency with which Ty Lee worked.

In less than two days time, she had made arrangements for his travel, sent a message to Hakoda by the fastest messenger hawk (and received a reply), and made sure that the Fire Lord was completely prepared for his travels.

After telling Ty Lee she didn't have to go through all the trouble, she just smiled, and replied, "Yeah, I think I do. I mean, I feel guilty, Zuko. Since… Mai died, I haven't been to see you all the much, and now I almost ruined your chance with Katara. I don't like feeling guilty."

He had never seen her that serious, and he knew that she must have been telling the truth. He couldn't imagine Ty Lee feeling guilty.

However, it was her guilt that led him to his current position. Zuko was disembarking his boat, and, in the distance, he could see the Southern Water Tribe's village. As he got closer, a realization hit him.

Zuko hadn't been to this village since the day that he captured Aang, over seven years ago. Any meetings that he had to attend with other world leaders happened either in the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, or the Northern Water Tribe. Hakoda had never requested that his village be the location for one of the meetings. The Fire Lord could see why; there most definitely would not be enough room to house all of the people who came to watch the meetings.

"Fire Lord Zuko!"

He looked up to see Hakoda striding toward him with a wave. "I see you left your servants behind," he said.

"I think I can survive without them for a while," Zuko replied. "I assume Ty Lee told you everything in her letter?"

Hakoda nodded. "She did. She is in the family home right now, talking to a waterbender from the North. It's straight ahead, and has the symble of the water tribe engraved on it," Hakoda said, noting Zuko's glances at other igloos as he tried to find the right one.

"Thank you, Hakoda." Zuko walked toward the igloo, fear growing with every step. What if she rejected him? What if she told him that Ty Lee was wrong? What if she didn't come back?

"_Don't think about that, Zuko," _he thought. He stopped about a foot short of the igloo, and hesitated. Should he?

He moved the flap, and stepped into the home. Katara sat with her back to him, and another girl was laughing across from her. He almost felt bad about interrupting her conversation, but from what Ty Lee said Hakoda had written in his letter, Katara was miserable here. And quite annoyed with some of the Northern Tribe girls who came down simply because they thought it would be "like completely quaint" to live with their sister tribe for a few months.

The girl whom Katara was talking to saw Zuko a second later, and even he could see the hungry, desire-filled look in her eye. "Hello," she began, grinning. "I didn't know there were such cute boys in the Southern Water Tribe. Where have you been hiding?"

Katara turned around, and her face paled noticeably as she took in the newest arrival. "Wh-what are you…" She glanced back at the other girl. "Mokita, could you please leave? This is the Fire Lord, I think he is looking for my father."

Mokita rolled her eyes but she exited the igloo with one final wink at Zuko. "Why are you here, Zuko? I doubt you came to see my father; any business with him could have been carried out over messenger hawk."

"It's a diplomacy thing," he lied, wondering why in the hell he was lying. "A simple diplomacy visit to increase goodwill among the nations. I realized I hadn't been to this village in a while, and I thought I would come to see it's customs."

Katara frowned. "A diplomacy mission? That's the best you can come up with? Zuko, I told you not to come after me. I… I made my decision." He could see the hurt in her eyes that she was trying to hide, and he felt himself wanting to hold her, help her, protect her. Keep her from the misery he had caused.

"What if it wasn't the right decision, Katara?" he asked, frowning at her. "What if it wasn't for the best that you leave?"

"Zuko, why are you really here? Tell the truth," Katara commanded. Her hand automatically moved to her hip, and one of her eyebrows was raised. Again, her eyes glittered like sapphires. Again, in his eyes, she seemed to be glowing. He didn't even realize the extent to which he missed her until this very minute.

"No, it really is, um, uh, a diplomacy…" He paused, trying to think of something to say. Something that "I think you know why I'm here, Katara. You left… You left everything, without saying goodbye. Why did you think you had to go?"

Katara paused. "I had my reasons, Zuko. Now, tell me your reasons for coming here, please."

He stared down at her. "You want the truth?" he asked. "Even when you wouldn't give me the same benefit? You want me to tell you the truth, after I was left with so many questions from your letter?"

He knew he had made her feel guilty, because she turned her eyes away from his face, and toward the ground. He barely caught Katara's words as she mumbled, "Yes, please, Zuko. Even when I won't give you the same privilege."

Zuko reached out his hand, and tipped her face toward his.

"Truthfully, I want you to come back."

**A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter! I liked it, and I hope you do, as well. Until tomorrow, fellow Fanfictioneers! **


	21. Hundred

**A/N: Hi! Day 21, Prompt 3 – Hundred. You know the drill! **

"Katara, don't you think you have kept him waiting long enough?"

Hakoda was standing in the doorway to their home, staring down at his daughter. Katara was sitting, unmoving, and staring at the wall.

"He can wait a bit longer," she said. "I have to think this over."

Hakoda shrugged, and left his daughter to her thinking. He had never really understood women; he had thought that the Fire Lord had a pretty good chance until Katara declared she needed to think and sent Zuko outside. To him, it was clear-cut: Katara loved Zuko, and therefore should go back with him. Did Hakoda like the thought of sending his daughter away? No, but he knew it was essential for her happiness to be elsewhere.

Katara was still staring at the wall. She may not have been moving, but her mind was racing in a hundred directions.

There, of course, were disadvantages to the situation. Their personalities were completely opposite of each other. When she saw something one way, he saw something another. And he could be so stubborn at times! He also had a habit of either making her angry or frustrating her to the point where she wanted to rip both her hair and his hair right off.

But she had to admit that even fighting with him made her happy; it was a release for tension and just plain enjoyable. She also liked having different viewpoints, and discussions with Zuko. Unlike Aang, Zuko provided a different take on a lot of situations, and actually listened to what she said. Her opinions changed his mind on political decisions, whereas her opinion to Aang was always "nice, but not really the best way to go about it, don't you think?"

Zuko was always nice to her, listening to her, arguing with her, and, most of all, he respected her for who she was. He didn't respect her because she was a teacher to him or a mother figure. He genuinely cared about her.

And the biggest influence on her decision was the realization she had come to before she left, and the knowledge she was forced to confront when talking to her father: She wanted to be with him and talk to him and live with him and eat with him. She wanted to be there for him and help him. Ty Lee and Suki… They didn't know how she felt. They didn't know that her heart ached when she was away from him, and that it felt like her heart had been left with him when she came to the village.

She thought of the Fire Nation Palace as home. She wanted to be there.

There were a hundred reasons she could have used as an excuse to stay if she wasn't sure.

But only one reason mattered, and that was her love for Zuko. She loved him.

"Have you made a decision?" The question came again from her father.

Katara looked up at him, and nodded.

"Well?"

"It's a good thing I hadn't unpacked many of my belongings… it will make this much faster," Katara replied with a smile.

Hakoda grinned at his daughter. "That's good, because any longer and I think Zuko will be taken hostage by the girls that are currently surrounding him."

Katara looked up and eyed her father sharply. "What?" she asked as she threw her last item into her bag, and tied it up. "You didn't tell me he was being _mobbed_," she said, her voice dripping with venom.

"I didn't want your decision to be rushed," he replied, throwing his hands up defensively, palms facing toward her.

The waterbending master threw her bag over her shoulder, and brushed past her father, marching outside. She could see that, in the center of the village, Zuko was being surrounded by three girls. Mokita was giggling, and she could see a faint blush on Zuko's cheeks. He looked like he was trapped and wanted to run away, but couldn't figure out how to do so.

She took a deep breath, and starting walking toward the group of four. She knew it would be a bad thing to let her jealousy get the better of her; after all, Zuko had just traveled all this way to come and ask her to come back, so it obviously meant he did care. Therefore, those girls should be no threat to her whatsoever.

Mokita caught a glimpse of Katara, and waved. "Oh, Katara! I see you've come out of seclusion at last to join us!" Mokita put a hand on Zuko's arm. "We were just asking your friend here to tell us a little about the weather in the Fire Nation! It sounds absolutely beautiful, maybe we can all come visit him and go swimming in the ocean or something. I have the most adorable swimsuit from the time I visited an aunt in the River Village in the Earth Kingdom," she continued.

"I've, uh, been there before," Zuko said uncertainly, glancing back at Katara. "So… you made up your mind?"

"Made up her mind for what?" Sakari, another Northern Water Tribe girl, asked.

Mokita eyed the bag on Katara's shoulder suspiciously. "You are _not_ going to live with him, are you? That's so not fair that someone from the Southern Tribe gets to marry a king!" She turned back to Zuko, smiling. "You know, I am related to the royal king in the Northern Water Tribe. I think you should take someone of a slightly higher rank and better ability than her. Everyone knows nobles are better benders, right, Fire Lord?" she asked coyly.

To prove her point, Mokita raised a small whip of water and doused Katara in the face. Zuko could sense Katara's anger rising, and hoped that this girl knew what she was doing.

With one swift motion, Katara had Mokita covered to the chest with ice. Neither her hands nor her arms could move; only her head could thrash around.

"You should watch your mouth around a master, amateur," Katara growled fiercely. She grabbed Zuko's arm, and started pulling him away from the group. "Come on, Zuko. Let's go home," she said.

"Shouldn't you at least free that girl?" Zuko questioned as they walked from the village to his ship.

"Let's leave that to the waterbenders in training, shall we?" Katara answered with a mischievous grin.

**A/N: YAY HAPPY ENDING YAY. I can't wait to have them back in the palace; it can only get better from here, right? 'Til the morrow! **


	22. Opened

**A/N: Day 22, prompt 17 – Opened. Enjoy! Sorry it's late, see bottom for explanation.**

It had been a week since she had returned.

Everything seemed much lighter now. Zuko was no longer yelling angrily or glaring moodily. He smiled again, and laughed often. Katara seemed less tense and less sad than when she was in her village, although no one would know it.

They were the picture of happiness, and both of them seemed relieved to be in the other's company.

"So you're saying that the Fire Lord was this happy before Miss Katara?"

The other woman shrugged. "It was a different kind of happy, I suppose. Master Zuko was a different person before Lady Mai's death. He was younger, of course," she said as she set down a plate for dinner. "He was more idealistic with his ruling, that was for sure. He learned very quickly, however, that people in the Fire Nation didn't see the end of the war as some horrendous effort. He also learned that just because the Avatar was on his side, didn't mean that the other leaders would respect and listen to him."

"How do you know all of this?" the other servant asked as they made their way into the kitchen to bring out the dishes for dinner.

Yuura, the older woman, smiled. "I was one of Lady Mai's appointed servants. She was used to a life of luxury, much unlike Miss Katara, and so she had servants of her own. Master Zuko kept us as staff once she died. After her death, he was much quieter, but all of the naivety he once possessed had vanished completely. I assume the lack of help from other nations made it difficult for him. Now, everything is starting to flow together more smoothly; other nations are coming to an understanding of the Fire Nation, and he is beginning to see things from Miss Katara's perspective, which seems to be much more different than Lady Mai's. It's more open and empathetic."

"That makes sense," Kaita replied. "Ah, and dinner is ready."

Kaita set down the last dish, and Yuura rang the bell so the attending servant would know to retrieve the Fire Lord and Miss Katara for dinner.

The two women stood quietly in the back of the room. The door opened, and Katara walked in, with Zuko not far behind.

They were both smiling.

"So anyway, like I was saying," Katara continued. "One of the young girls I was teaching was trying desperately to aim the right way. I tried telling her to focus, and she ended up dousing my father completely in water! I felt so bad for him, but I wouldn't stop laughing, and eventually the other girls freed him of the water."

Zuko chuckled. "Sounds like you had more fun than you let on while you were away."

Katara shrugged, thinking for a second before responding. "Not really; I enjoyed teaching, but the girls are going to the Northern Water Tribe soon to learn up there, and I would have gone back to doing nothing. Although, I heard from one of the servants that you seem a lot happier, Zuko. What did you do, torture them in my absence?"

"Of course not! I was just letting my inner Azula shine through for a few days," Zuko replied, still joking.

"At least you didn't try to kill everyone; I would have hated to be the one to lock both of the Fire Lord's children up." Katara paused, and her face changed from a smile into seriousness. "How is Azula, anyway? Any different from the last time I saw her?"

Zuko shook his head. "They tell me she stays in her room, talking to people who aren't there and laughing to herself all the time. I didn't expect much; even if she got better, she would still be the cold, heartless Azula we all knew and hated."

The servants were in shock at this point; they had never heard Zuko speak of Azula, not even to Mai. Then again, Mai had never asked, not wanting to delve into her past. But others had asked him before. Leaders, the Avatar, etcetera. He had always refused to comment.

Zuko had really opened up to this water tribe girl, they realized simultaneously.

"Have you been to see her?"

"Once," Zuko said, looking at Katara. "She told me she was going to kill you, Ty Lee, and Mai in front of me. Then, she started telling someone to go away, to leave her alone, and that she didn't need help, she was powerful. I haven't been back since."

"I'm sorry," Katara said. "It must be hard, losing your family."

Zuko smiled. "It's no big deal. I find myself not really caring; my father and Azula were never that high up on my list of people I somewhat enjoyed."

"They were never that high on mine, either, to tell you the truth," Katara said with a wink.

"Oh really? I could have sworn you and my sister were best friends. I mean, that last battle… you two were having so much fun playing around."

Katara stuck her tongue out at Zuko. "Whatever. So, what is this that we're eating, anyway?"

"Huh?" Zuko looked down at his plate. "Oh, raw slug tentacles."

"Ewww! That's disgusting!"

Yuura turned to Kaita, and smiled. "See, he is much more open than he used to be. He seems more content and more assured."

"He does seem really happy… I'm glad Miss Katara came back," Kaita said.

Zuko caught their conversation, and smiled as he watched Katara poke the slug with a disgusted look on her face.

He was glad she was back, too.

**A/N: Sorry it's late, the internet totally went out. We're working on another modem at the moment, and my brother brought one with him when he came to visit today. Bad news: He's taking it back tomorrow. I'll try and have the next update up tonight! **


	23. Blissful

**A/N: Day 23, prompt 8 – Blissful. I don't own Avatar. As always, please read, review, and enjoy. Especially enjoy.**

He wasn't planning on saying anything about it to her, that was for sure. He felt it would be too soon; he thought that maybe Ty Lee was wrong. Maybe, just maybe, Katara saw him differently.

The pair was working in the garden. Katara was happily finishing up her watering, and there were no weeds to speak of, so Zuko was just watching her waterbend the water into the soil.

"Hey, I want to ask you a question, Zuko," Katara said as soon as she was done.

"And I could never deny your curiosity, so go ahead," Zuko replied.

Katara hesitated for only a second. "What pushed you to come after me?"

"Ty Lee," Zuko said. At Katara's curious look, he continued. "She came to visit a few days after you left. She, uh, brought me to a few realizations about some things. Once she pointed them out, I knew I had to go after you."

Katara sat herself in front of Zuko, and cocked her head slightly to one side. "What kind of realizations?" she asked innocently. Katara herself was trying to find out if she was right or not, and was therefore trying to drop subtle hints to nudge him.

Zuko shrugged. "You know, the obvious ones. If I get hurt, it's good to have a healer on hand and if the servants go on strike, that I'm going to need someone who can cook, because I'm dreadful. She also pointed out that the garden was too much time in my busy schedule without a waterbender, so I'd need to get one. Then it hit me; you're a water bender that can cook and heal. You, madam, are perfect for living here. So, Ty Lee and I made some arrangements, I got on a boat, and voila, here you are."

"Oh really?"

"Yep."

Katara knew he was joking, but she also knew that this line of questioning was going to get her nowhere fast. She needed to start in a new direction. "Zuko?"

"Yes, Katara?" he answered.

She leaned back on her arms and stared up at the sky. Screw subtlety. "Do you think that people are only allowed to truly love one person? Like, there is a soul mate for everyone, but only one?"

He blushed when she changed the topic, and also turned toward the sky, mostly to hide his red cheeks. What had brought this on, all of a sudden? Katara could be so unpredictably strange, sometimes. "I, uh, don't think so," he stuttered.

"Why not?"

His brain went into high gear, trying to come up with a response that didn't start with the word um. "Well," he began, "if there was only meant to one person for everyone, I think it would be slightly unfair. For example, I loved Mai very much," he said. "If she were the only person in the world that could love me, I'd be alone for a very long time." He paused, trying to get back on his original train of thought. "Or what about people who never met their perfect match? Then they would never get to experience love, because their one soul mate was in another place, wishing they could one day meet their match."

Katara was still staring up at the sky, actually amazed at the response that Zuko had given. "Wow. That was unexpectedly deep, Zuko," she said.

The Fire Lord looked away from the sky, and looked over at the woman in front of him. Her long hair cascaded to the ground, and her face was lit up by the warm sunlight.

"Katara, what I was trying to say…" he said, taking a deep breath. ". I'd like to think that somewhere… you know, maybe… I'd eventually be able to find someone else who could love me and whom I could love. Or, maybe, I've already found that person, but I just can't…"

"What are you trying to say, Zuko?" Katara replied, looking away from the sky and back at his handsome, pale face.

He looked straight into her eyes, and smiled. "I love you, Katara."

For a second, nothing happened, and then, as comprehension descended, her face lit, full of blissful joy.

"I knew it before you left, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything. Even as the ruler of a nation, I'm too cowardly to tell you how I really feel. I love you."

She reached out to him, and took his hand. She was smiling, as well. "You're an idiot, you know," she said, laughter dancing in her eyes. "It took you long enough to realize."

He laughed, so relieved that she wasn't trying desperately to tell him that she didn't feel the same way. He was relieved that she was so happy, and relieved that she felt the same way. "How long ago did you realize, then? If I'm so slow?" he asked, still radiant, still blissful.

"I realized way, way back. On the day that we meditated together and then sparred? I realized, but for the longest time, I tried to deny it. And then I asked Suki, and she said Ty Lee said that it was just a rebound feeling-"

"I knew about that," Zuko interrupted. "Ty Lee came to the palace and then started crying once she realized how bad of a mistake she had made. That's why I went after you."

Katara laughed, too. She felt like her entire body might explode because of the intense feelings inside. She wanted to run and jump, but instead, she leaned forward, her face inches apart from his.

"I love you too, Zuko," she murmured, and kissed him softly.

**A/N: So yeah, this chapter was nice to write. Hopefully the internet will work soonish, my parents keep claiming that they will get a new modem. But there are only seven days left, so hopefully nothing horrendous will happen between now and then.**


	24. Marked

**A/N: Day 24, prompt 7 – Marked. You all have probably read this like, a billion times before. Oh well. Enjoy, I hope!**

Katara held the small vial in her hand. It was something she had wanted to ask about for a while, now. Master Pakku had told her to use it carefully, and if he wanted it, then there was nothing else she could think to use it for. They had talked about it once, in the cave, many years ago. He had seemed like he wanted it. And after his wedding to Mai, she had asked again. He said he would think about it, but she ended up using her last vial to save the lives of two children.

They had never talked about it again.

She closed the door quietly behind her and began walking toward the room she knew he would be in. She wondered how he would take it. She also wondered what he would look like without the scar. She was more than sure that the vial would heal the skin; she had asked Master Pakku about it a while ago. He had told her that the spirit water can be used for many things, least of all healing physical scars.

Zuko sat in his throne, his mind wandering. He remembered playing here as a child, peeking in with Azula to see first his grandfather, and then his father surrounded by flames. He remembered wanting so badly to attend the meetings held here or to impress his grandfather and father like Azula impressed them.

This room was filled with so many painful memories, and yet here he sat, thinking about them. He remembered hearing that his cousin had died, and that Azulon wanted Ozai to kill him. He remembered one time that his father had caught him inside the throne room, and almost killed him right there. If it hadn't been for Uncle and his mother, Zuko figured he would have been dead, many times over.

He also remembered the first time he took the throne as Fire Lord. He remembered how the oil in the long troughs lit up, and the fire began to burn with the orange red flames. He remembered the days when Mai would walk in gracefully, coming to greet him after a headache or a long day gardening. More recently, he thought about Katara in the same room. The memories weren't always so bad, he guessed.

His hand subconsciously moved to his scar. It was in this room that he spoke out against his father, and it was because of those remarks that he had this scar.

It made him a marked man.

But it also marked the beginning of his transformation. The scar on his face was a reminder of who he once was, and the scar on his chest was a reminder of who he had become. It was like the time in between the two was the worst of his life, and yet it had made him stronger.

When he had received the first scar, he was angry, lonely, and he wanted to prove himself. Nothing could stop him. The scar on his face was a physical reminder of his failure and his rejections. His uncle had told him once that the scar could be a new beginning, but he never believed it.

Then, he figured out his path, and went to help the Avatar. He was good. The scar on his back was a reminder that sacrifices are necessary, and that he was finally done with the boy who wanted nothing more than to appease his father and beat his sister. He was finally Zuko, the person he was supposed to be. The person he was meant to be all along.

"Zuko," a voice said, quietly, interrupting his thoughts. He looked up to see Katara in front of him, holding a vial. "I want to talk to you about something. Before… before I came here, about a year ago, I was given a vial of spirit water from Master Pakku. I remember that time in the cave, a few years back, and I know you've been thinking about your scar a lot lately. If you'd like, we can try it out. I have a really good feeling that it could help."

Again, the Fire Lord touched his scar. "Katara," he said, just as quietly. She stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at him, the vial clenched in her hands. "Do you find me ugly with the scar? Do you think it should be removed?"

Her eyes widened, and she began to fervently shake her head. "No, I don't think your scar is ugly, not at all. I just know that it can bother you at times."

He smiled. "Well, as long as you don't think it's ugly, I think I'll keep it." He stood up, and descended the steps so he was in front of her. She returned his smile, and leaned forward, placing her hand on the red skin.

At one time, his scar made him feel like an outcast. But he knew that there were many people who accepted him, and even respected him more, because of the scar on his face. They looked at it and saw someone who had been hurt by his own nation.

Just like Katara looking at the scar now; she welcomed it because it was a part of him. She knew the history behind it, and she still accepted him.

Yes, this scar was just as much a part of him as anything else, and he would never remove it.

**A/N: Well, I warned ya. It was hard to think up something for this prompt other than the scars scenario. So I went with it. Hopefully it was at least a little awesome? On a side note, I'm writing an Azula-centric, post-insanity fic at the moment. One shot, most likely. Maybe you'll read? See ya later! **


	25. Amethyst

**A/N: Day 25, prompt 26 – Amethyst. It's kind of really crappy, in my opinion. Sorry! I hope you can find some redeeming qualities in tonight's chapterish thing.**

"Katara," Zuko said as he knelt down on one knee and pulled out a box. "Will you marry me?"

He paused for a second, and looked at himself in the mirror. No, that was all wrong! It was too brash, too stupid.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He knew that everything would work out for the best, but he wanted it to be perfect. He wanted everything to be perfect. ]

She was smart. She was pretty. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind. She was tough. She was funny. She was compassionate. She was both a dreamer and a realist. There were many reasons why he thought about putting the amethyst ring on her finger. Katara was graceful, and childish, but she could also be stubborn and mature.

However, the main reason he wanted to do this, why he wanted to marry her… he loved her.

He hadn't felt this way about anyone since Mai had died. It was amazing to think that after two years, he could finally get on with his life.

Proposing to Mai had been just as hard, but for some reason, he really felt like he was forgetting something with Katara. Like something just was not right in the way he was proposing.

He had decided he would do it at dinner, which was in... about five minutes.

"Come on, Zuko, think! What am I forgetting?" Nothing came to mind.

Typical.

A knock came at the door, and a servant declared that it was time for dinner. Zuko gulped nervously, and followed the man toward the dining room. The box was clutched in his hand, and the amethyst ring was secured inside.

Zuko was seated, and a moment later, Katara glided into the room, a huge smile plastered on her face. She was dressed in a new outfit, and his mind went blank at the sight of her. She was beautiful.

They ate quickly, enjoying a good conversation over their food, and at the end, the servants brought out the best wine they could find.

Zuko stood up, and walked over to Katara. She looked down at him in surprise as he got down on one knee, and opened the box.

"Katara…" Zuko started, looking up into her eyes.

"What are you doing, Zuko?" Katara asked, staring at the ring in confusion. "If you wanted to give me a ring, you didn't have to kneel in front of me."

The Fire Lord looked up at her in confusion. "Yes, I did. It's what you're supposed to do, Katara. That's how these things work. You get down on one knee, present the girl with the ring, and-"

"What things?" she asked, an eyebrow quirked. "You said that's how these things worked. What things?"

Zuko took a deep breath. He didn't know how she could not have gotten the message by now. He had the ring, the kneeling… EVERYTHING.

"Katara, please make me one of the happiest people in the world, and marry me?" he asked.

Her expression changed from curious to shocked. "I… but… Well, of course, Zuko! Yes, yes, a million times over!" Both of their faces lit up with smiles. "But what is the ring for? I just don't get it."

"It's what you wear to show you're engaged," he said. "So that other people know we're getting married."

Her hand flew up to the choker on her neck, and the pendant hanging from it. He could feel whatever he had forgotten slowly seep into his brain. He could almost remember…

"Like an engagement necklace, right? To show you're going to be married," she replied.

It dawned on him suddenly that Katara was not from the Fire Nation. She would now know that in the Fire Nation, women wear rings to show that they are engaged.

"_Of course!"_ He berated himself. "_I remember now, in the Water Tribe, it's an engagement necklace. I'm supposed to carve her a necklace. Damn it,"_ he thought.

He nodded weakly. "Yes, Katara. It's like an engagement necklace."

She looked down at the ring. "I can wear this, if you want me to. After all, I am living in the fire nation. And it's such a beautiful-"

"No," Zuko interrupted. "It wouldn't have the same meaning to you that a necklace that I carved would. Katara, I promise that I will carve you a necklace, made out of amethyst, and it will be the most amazing engagement pendant you have ever seen. I want you to be happy in every way possible, because if you marry me, you will make me happy. What am I saying, you already do make me happy! I don't-"

She silences his babble with a kiss, and he calmed down. When she pulled away, Zuko was silent.

"Thank you, Zuko. Having my own engagement necklace will be nothing compared to the happiness I will experience when we're married. This is all… you're amazing. I love you."

"I love you too, Katara," he murmured, leaning in for another kiss.

**A/N: Short and crappy. Sorry guys. I am just too stressed for much of anything right now. Please forgive this chapter. Not a lot of inspiration. I wanted to make it amazing, but… Eh. Sorry! Hopefully things will be better tomorrow.**


	26. Dancing

**A/N: Day 26, prompt 19 – Dancing. Read, review, and enjoy, everyone!**

"We don't have to go through with this, you know," Zuko said to Katara. She just smiled at him.

"Zuko, it's for the leaders of the world. You have to be there. He has to be there. And I am coming with you."

Four days ago, they had received a message from the most honorable family Bei Fong. As an act of goodwill among the nations, they were holding a ball, and they invited the world's great leaders. Of course, this had to include the Fire Lord.

But then again, it also had to include the Avatar, and as they realized this, they set about trying to figure out how either Zuko could go alone or skip it.

It wasn't that Katara didn't want to go, it was just that she didn't want to see Aang.

Five minutes later, another letter came, addressed to Katara, from the most honorable Bei Fong's. As it turns out, the ball was for Toph's nineteenth birthday, even though her parents had decided to turn into a large even with the most important people in the world attending. This meant her friends were invited, which most definitely included Katara.

It was decided, by Katara, finally, that she would face Aang. She and Zuko would go together, and let the world know they were engaged.

That was how the two of them ended up in a carriage on their way to the house of Toph's parents. Said carriage slowed down, and eventually came to a stop. The door opened, and Zuko stepped out, turning to help Katara climb out as well.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked, eyeing her.

She was staring straight ahead at the entrance, her face a mixture of determination and worry. Her slender hand flew up to her amethyst engagement pendant, and she nodded.

"I'm always ready for dancing," she said, avoiding his true question.

Katara tugged on his hand, and the pair began walking up toward the entrance. At the gate, two men stood, looking menacing, and asking for invitation scrolls. Zuko handed the one on the left his, and the man said, "Thank you for coming, Fire Lord."

Katara handed hers to the man on the right, and he said, "Move along."

Despite the awkwardness he knew was coming, Zuko couldn't help but chuckle at the face Katara made as she stormed away from the man. "The nerve of him," she muttered as they walked through the gate and into the gardens.

All was forgotten as soon as she took in the sight, though. The walkway was lined with golden rope, to keep people from walking in the gardens, which had golden lights hanging from trees and other beautiful objects strewn around. They began their long trek toward the house, pausing every once in a while to look at something, talk to someone, or point something out to the other.

Eventually, they reached the house, and through the door, Katara could see that the dance was already underway. Her finger traced the design carved, by hand, onto her necklace, and frowned.

"Maybe we shouldn't-" she started.

"Katara!" She looked up to see Sokka running over to her, dragging Suki behind him. "My little sister! How are you? Something looks different… Is it your hair? Did you get a new dress?" he asked, giving her a huge hug. He let her go a second later, and turned to Zuko, holding out his hand. "Nice to see you, Zuko."

Suki waved, and with a small whisper in Sokk'a ear, she pulled Katara away from the two men. "So…?" she asked, grinning at Katara.

"So… what?" Katara retorted.

"The necklace! It's changed! You're engaged!" Suki said, her voice rising with excitement.

The grin was infections, and soon Katara was smiling as well with a blush adorning her cheeks. "Y-Yeah," she said. "It's rather new, I'm sorry I didn't tell you! It only happened a week ago. There wasn't much time for a letter."

Suki smiled again. "It's okay, I forgive you. After all, I kept something from you, too." Katara quirked an eyebrow, and Zuki let her news out in one excited breath. "I'm pregnant!"

There was a small silence as Katara processed the information. "You're… Oh my god!" She said. "No way! I didn't even think you wanted kids! That's what you said after you got married."

"I know, but I changed my mind," Suki replied with a wink.

From his corner of the room, Zuko watched Katara as she spoke with her friend. "What do you think they're talking about, anyway?"

Sokka shrugged. "Probably Suki being pregnant or something. Women get excited over the strangest things."

"Either that or Katara being engaged," Zuko added.

Sokka spit out the punch he had been drinking. "WHAT?"

"It's nothing," Zuko said, and chose this time to speed over to Katara, while Sokka was still in shock. "I might have just told your brother you're engaged," he informed her as he came to a halt beside her.

Suki smiled at Katara. "I'll go take care of it. Have a fun night, you two! And, just so you know… Aang is here. He's with Toph, though; he's her escort for this evening, and should be coming down soon." She sped away from the couple and toward the still in shock Sokka.

Zuko and Katara stood in their corner, viewing the people dancing. The song came to a close, and Katara pulled on Zuko's arm. "Let's go dance, okay?"

He could tell she was nervous about seeing Aang, so he let her have her distraction. They took their place, opposite each other, in one long line, and bowed as the music began. Move forward, and then back again. Step out, turn, walk, step back in. Hand out, clasp, together, push apart.

They followed the steps until yet another song drew to a close.

The music changed, and everyone's attention was turned toward a staircase that was currently being descended by Toph and her escort. The birthday girl look radiant in her long green dress, and Aang was smiling, but Katara could see his eyes searching the crowd.

Soon, he and Toph reached the final step, and Aang spotted Katara, who had immediately reverted to tracing the design on her pendant. His eyes widened slightly, and she clutched Zuko's hand.

The music changed into a birthday tune, and Aang and Toph led the crowd in a waltz for the birthday girl. Katara and Zuko did not join in, but instead moved to the outer wall. After the song was done, the partners bowed to each other, and the musicians stopped for a short break.

Aang came walking up to the couple with Toph trailing not far behind. "Sugarqueen! Zuko! How nice of you to come!" she said with a smile as soon as was sure it was them.

"Hi Toph," they said together.

"Is there a reason you two are standing together or did you just bump into each other at the party?" she asked. Katara cursed Toph's ability to ask the questions that she didn't want to answer.

"Toph," Aang started. "I think you should go see Sokka and Suki."

"No," she answered. "I want to talk to Katara and Zuko, too."

Aang sighed.

"You look nice, tonight, Toph," Katara said to the woman in front of her. Just as Toph was about to say something, Aang sighed again. Toph rolled her eyes, and said something along the lines of "Fine, I know when I'm not wanted," and wandered off in search of other friends.

Katara and Aang stared at each other. She was glaring at him, but he was just staring at her necklace.

"You're engaged?"

"Yes," she responded. "I am."

"To Zuko?"

This time, it was the Fire Lord who responded. "Yes."

"You're happy?"

Katara took a deep breath, look at Zuko, and smiled. "Very much so, Aang. Happier than I had been in a long time."

The Avatar let out a sigh of defeat, and then turned to Zuko. "Don't hurt her, okay? I did a pretty bad job of keeping Katara happy. Luckily, she came to you. But if you hurt her…"

Zuko nodded, looking down at him. "Don't worry, Aang. I won't ever hurt her."

Aang nodded, looked at Katara, and then back at Zuko. "Thank you for… making Katara happy," he said, and walked away without a single glance behind him.

**A/N: Oh poor Aang. Dx Dang it, I should not feel so bad for characters! Especially when I make the situations! I hope you liked it! **


	27. Groan

**A/N: Day 27, Prompt 9 – Groan. We're really getting down to the last stretch here, guys. Read, review, and enjoy! **

Katara was beginning to hate receiving letters.

First, there was the letter telling her to end things with Zuko. Then, there was the letter inviting them to the most awkward ball of her life. Now, she received a letter from Suki, telling her that they were visiting.

Which does not seem like a bad thing at first glance.

However, not only were Suki and Sokka visiting, oh no; Toph was coming, along with Aang, who said it was "Avatar business." Something about this visit did not bode well, and Katara was not looking forward to it.

Zuko came over soon after she had opened the letter, and read it. He looked from the paper to her face, and back again.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, her voiced colored with desperation.

"They're your family and friends."

Katara groaned, wanting to slam her head unto the floor until she faded from oblivion. "I know, but that doesn't mean I want to have them all visit." Zuko just shrugged, unsure of what to tell her, and decided he would let her handle everything. After all, they were _her_ friends. And he had a nation to keep in balance.

The arrival date was the following day, leaving Katara exactly half a day to prepare herself for the onslaught of questions and comments, all about her life here, and Zuko.

Sadly, the half day wasn't nearly the preparation she would need to deal with all four of them at once.

As soon as the sun had risen on the day of their arrival, Katara was awake and making sure that everything was prepared. There were three rooms, just in case they decided to stay, made up perfectly. The meals were all decidedly not sea slug tentacle, but something more appetizing for their Earth Kingdom tastes. And of course, something without meat for Aang. She needed every detail to be perfect.

Even her clothes were picked because they looked the best on her.

"Are you sure you need to go through this much just for one visit from people who love you, Katara? I mean, really, what are they going to do, judge your new life for how you dress or the meal that is served?"

Katara turned to Zuko, exasperated. "Yes! If the meal is not amazing, Sokka will have something to complain about. If my clothes look shaggy, Aang or Suki will just have to ask me if you're treating me well enough. Luckily, I don't think Toph will care all that much; she's just coming for free food and a chance to hear the awkward situations that might arise."

A deep growl from the front courtyard alerted the couple to the arrival of Appa, and therefore the arrival of Aang, Toph, Sukki, and Sokka.

The front doors opened, and the group walked in. Sokka and Suki were walking hand in hand. Aang was standing beside Toph, almost protectively. And, surprisingly, Ty Lee glided in behind them with a smile of her own.

"Hi everyone!" Katara said enthusiastically. They all walked over to her, save for Ty Lee, and the assault began.

"Katara! What's this about you being engaged? I never gave you permission to be engaged!"

"Oh, Katara, you look wonderful! Did Zuko buy those for you? How nice, Sokka never buys me anything anymore."

"The place feels nice, Sugarqueen. You landed a good deal with this boy."

"Suki's right, Katara, you look nice. He's treating you well, isn't he?"

Katara was swamped trying to answer everyone at once.

Ty Lee had avoided the situation entirely, choosing instead to come over and stand next to the Fire Lord, who was also being ignored. "Just wait a few minutes, they'll remember you're here and question you, too!" she whispered happily.

"I could do without that, thanks," Zuko countered. "So, if I may ask, why are _you_ here, Ty Lee?"

She grinned. "To see you, of course! Firstly, I thought you should know that the "Avatar business" Aang had to take care of was watching Toph; I think he's starting to gather quite the crush on her! Secondly, I knew that they would ignore you in favor of Katara, and, anyway, I just wanted to make sure that you're doing okay."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're about to be re-married, Zuko. Even if you're happy and in love with Katara, there's still a little part of you that feels like you're betraying Mai," she answered sweetly, her eyes falling not on his face but on the group of five standing in front of them.

Zuko also turned to the crowd before he replied. "You're right, Ty Lee. I… I do feel like that. How did you…?"

"I felt the same way after she died, and two weeks later I was back with the girls on Kyoshi Island. I just felt like I wasn't giving her memory as one of my greatest friends enough tribute," she answered quietly. "I figured by your aura and your personality that you'd been feeling the same way." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"How did you end up getting through the feeling?" he asked. "Did it go away on its own?"

This time, she winked at him, and a smile erupted on her face. "You'll figure it out, Zuko! It's something you have to do on your own, duh! Now, I think it's about lunch time, right? Katara must have something delicious, she is the prepared one!"

"Zuko! Ty Lee! Come on, it's lunch time!" Katara called, looking at them as she herded the crown toward the dining room. Zuko looked down at Ty Lee, amazed she could predict that it was lunch time, but she was in the middle of doing a cartwheel, and then she was running on her toes, trying to follow the group.

He just shook his head, having given up on figuring out an answer, and followed them all.

"So, Zuko, plan on having kids with Sugarqueen?" Toph asked as soon as they were seated. From their positions at the ends of the table, Katara and Zuko stared at each other in slight horror. They hadn't even talked about that yet, how on earth was he supposed to- "Haha, I'm just kidding! You guys don't have to be so nervous!"

Hours later, after dinner, plus at least an hour or two of deep debate between Sokka and Toph about something or another, the group left. Thankfully, none of the prepared rooms had to be used.

"That wasn't _so_ bad," Zuko reasoned.

Katara let out another groan. "Yeah, maybe not for you! They basically ignored you the whole night. I had to get questioned and bombarded and lectured at for hours!"

"You enjoyed yourself, though," he said, grinning.

She leaned into him, staring off into the distance, where Appa was a quickly disappearing speck in the sky. "They may be a headache, but I love them," she said finally.

**A/N: Aaaaaand, done. I am sooooooo looking forward to tomorrow night's chapter. You guys have no idea. Eeee! Okay, enough going on about tomorrow's awesomeness. :P Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! **


	28. Dreamily

**A/N: Day 28, prompt 15 – Dreamily. I WAS SO EXCITED FOR THIS CHAPTER! Read, review, and I hope you enjoy!**

He strode through the palace halls, where every color seemed washed out and even the floors seemed covered in a swirling fog.

He didn't know where he was going, but he knew that he was being pulled toward it. His eyes fluttered dreamily, and his mind was fuzzy with sleep. His feet seemed to know which direction to go, even if he, in his fuddled and woozy state, had no idea. A left here, down that hallway- nothing seemed familiar, and yet he knew every inch.

The torches, normally flickering on the wall, were all out. However, the palace seemed to emit its own glow.

He turned down another hallway, and walked out a door. He was standing in a garden, and the fog rolled lazily over the ground. The flowers were whispers of themselves, only a slight, faded red showing through on even the normally brightest of colors.

Zuko looked up, his eyes falling on the only bench in the entire garden. Sitting on it was someone he hadn't seen in a very long time.

"Hello, Zuko," she said. "I hope you're doing well."

He smiled, walking toward her. "Mai," he murmured. She didn't rise to hug him only, scooted slightly so he could occupy the space next to her. "How have you, um, been?"

"I'm dead. I can't really complain," she reasoned. "I hear you're getting married soon, Zuko."

He nodded, not wanting to say anything. The flowers swayed in the non-existent breeze, and he saw a large dragon pass overhead. The fog swirled beneath their feet.

"It's Katara, right? The girl you're marrying, that is." He voice was just as expressionless now as it was when she was alive. There was only a hint of something happening beneath.

Again, Zuko nodded.

"This is turning out to be a very one-sided conversation, Zuko. The least you could do, for all my trouble of bringing you here, is to speak to me. Come on, I know you have more words in you than what you've spoken. Or have you forgotten how to speak?" She raised an eyebrow and looked at him, waiting for a response.

Zuko thought for a moment, wanting to talk to her, but also afraid that she might become angry if he started. What if she resented him for falling in love again? What if she had wanted to wait for him in the spirit world? What if she had wanted him to wait for her? "Yes. I'm going to marry Katara," he said finally.

"Do you love her?"

Zuko nodded.

Mai's expression changed from only slightly interested to annoyed. "Words, Zuko, dear. Use them."

"I do love her."

"In the same way you loved me?" she asked. He could hear the genuine curiosity in her voice.

"I love her enough to marry her, if that's what you mean," he responded. "But the love is different; I'm not the same person I was when I loved you, Mai. So, in that way, it's completely different."

Mai sat still for a moment, deep in thought. "You feel like you're betraying me, then? I thought that was the reason why you were so called to come speak with me tonight, Zuko. You talked to Ty Lee."

His eyes widened in disbelief. "I… I did. And I do feel like I'm betraying you, Mai," he admitted. "There's a part of me that think by marrying Katara, I'm dishonoring your memory. As if I will forget you because of her. I don't want to forget you, Mai; I don't want to pretend like you never existed."

She smiled, the sight giving Zuko a chill down his spine. Even now, her smile made her more beautiful than ever. "But marrying Katara, you will not dishonor my memory, Zuko. Only you would be so worried about me, even after I am dead. You deserve to move on, Zuko. You can't live your entire life sad and depressed because I died. Katara saved you from a bad, bad path, Zuko. I can only thank her for that. In fact, I have, but I don't know if she heard me."

Mai paused a second as Zuko started at her, confused. One small laugh escaped her lips before she continued. "Zuko, you fool, don't worry about me. She makes you happy. I can't do that, anymore. My memory, for you right now, is only depressing. In the years to come, you will be able to look back and remember the happy times with me without feeling sad, because of her. I would never deprive you of happiness, and I don't want to be a barrier for your happiness. Go, enjoy yourself. Love her, be happy. I give you my blessing."

At those words, Zuko felt as though a weight he didn't realize he was carrying was lifted off of his shoulders. The apprehension he felt about the wedding, the worry in his mind, disappeared.

The pair sat in silence. Mai leaned back again the wall, her eyes closed, as though she were listening to birds chirp. Zuko watched the fog roll across the garden, and a thought crossed his mind that had not occurred to him. "Mai, am I dreaming? Are you only a manifestation of my subconscious?"

Her eyes cracked open, and the rolled her head until she was looking at him through the slits. "Does it feel like you're dreaming?"

"No," he admitted. "But I remember going to sleep, and I don't remember waking up. So it must be a dream."

She shrugged. "If you think it's a dream, then it's a dream. But really, you're in the spirit world. Kind of."

"How…?"

"It's the beginning of the summer solstice, Zuko. You of all people should know this, Fire Lord. I live in my garden, and keep it up in the spirit world. Not that it really needs keeping up, but one can pretend."

Zuko was staring at her. He didn't get it… "Aang has never mentioned seeing human spirits in the Spirit World. I thought the Avatar could travel here?"

"He can, but the Avatar can only see the important spirits. Like previous incarnations of himself, and the nature spirits. Human spirits are too weak for the Avatar to see, and humans can only see us if we draw them to ourselves on a solstice. Which is why I had to wait so long to tell you that it's okay to move on, Zuko. Not that I like seeing you in anyone's arms, but you do love her, and Katara is nice enough."

Zuko felt his ties to this world growing weaker; whatever had been keeping him here was fading away.

"Oh, is it time for you to go already? Good bye, Zuko. It was lovely seeing you again, and having you be able to see me," she said, her voice as monotone as ever.

Zuko leaned over, and kissed her on the cheek. "Good bye, Mai."

The world around him faded away; the fog became less pronounced, and he felt as though his soul was quickly flying to his body. Zuko's eyes shot open, and he found himself in the dark of his own room. The feeling of weightlessness from seeing Mai still remained; he felt stronger in his love for Katara, and surer of what he was doing. He was relieved that he could move on, without remorse. Mai had helped him get over his doubt, and his guilt. He smiled as his eyes closed, and he began to once more drift off to sleep.

"Thank you, for everything," he murmured, hoping she could hear.

In the spirit world, Mai smiled once more. "You're welcome," she replied, knowing he couldn't.

**A/N: So there was no Katara in this chapter, but it's okay. I love this chapter so much, even without her in it. I just like the idea of Mai setting Zuko free from his feelings of remorse! So yeah, that's why yesterday was so focused on Zuko and Ty Lee, because I wanted to set up for this chapter. I hope you liked it as much as I did. **


	29. Continually

**A/N: Day 29, Prompt 13 – Continually. Enjoy it while it lasts! :D**

Stress was stressful. That much, to anyone, would be obvious.

Wedding day stress is much more stressful than regular stress, which anyone who has been a bride or a bridesmaid knows.

"You're sure everything looks fine?" It was a question Katara had been continually asking since she donned her gown.

Suki smiled, and assured her that of course it looked fine. Ty Lee agreed; it was perfect for a Fire Nation wedding! Toph mumbled an inaudible response, as she could neither see the dress nor particularly cared.

"Now sit down, Madam Katara. We need to do your hair!" The stylist snapped her fingers, and Katara immediately sat. "You, maid of honor, get me something to cover her shoulders and hair. Miss Ty Lee, if you wouldn't mind getting her toes painted, that would be helpful. Other one… Well, you just do whatever you're doing."

"Fine by me," Toph replied, and stretched out on the couch in the room. "Jeez Sugarqueen, calm down. I can feel your heart racing from over here." 

Katara took in another deep breath, and tried to turn to face Toph, but was told to stay completely still while her hair was being done. "I'm nervous. Very, very nervous."

"Why?" Toph asked. She didn't see what was so nerve-wracking about having everything done for you. It was basically being pampered for a day. How was that upsetting in the least?

Suki looked up from the hair that she was being told to hold. "Well, Toph, there's a lot to do besides being pampered. You would know if you were actually doing more than lounging around in a dress."

"I'm blind," she reminded Suki, waving a hand in front of her milky green eyes. "Not much I can do, other than lounge around in a dress."

Ty Lee grinned up at Suki. "She's right, you know."

Suki glared down at Ty Lee. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

Katara, on the other hand, was still continually taking deep breaths. She was nervous. So very nervous. It was like her entire body would just melt away into nothingness, because there was no way she could ever survive this. She was surprised only Toph could hear her heart beating; it seemed like everyone in the room should be able to hear the loud thump emanating from her chest.

She wasn't even paying attention to the constant bickering going on around her. She could barely feel the tugs and stings of her hair bring pulled into an elaborate style.

She was staring at herself in the mirror, and thinking about how different this wedding was than the one she had dreamed about as a child. She had never imagined a white dress, and a courtyard filled with people she didn't know. People who were coming to see their Fire Lord get married, not their friend or their family member.

Everything, she was told, had to be perfect. She was wearing a red dress, made from the best Fire Nation tailors, because the wedding planner said it would be an insult to the Fire Nation if she wore another color. She was carrying red and purple flowers in her bouquet, to match her outfit (she refused to take off her betrothal necklace) and because they were the flowers of the nation.

Everything would be outside, so many people could attend, and because the weather was nice. The family and friends would get the first couple of seats, and the rehearsal dinner just for themselves. But today was the day she would walk out in front of hundreds, maybe thousands of people, and get married. All for Zuko.

She had pictured her wedding to be a simple affair, even when she was young. The Southern Water Tribe didn't offer much in the way of romance, or places to be married. Katara thought she could visit the sister tribe, find a nice young man, and get married there, in the snow. With only her family and his.

Zuko had, like the sweet man he was, offered to do a private wedding, Water Tribe style. Or however she had wanted it. That's what he said. She could wear blue, get married in the snow, and have it be tiny. They could get married in the Earth Kingdom! Anything, he had said. Anything for her.

She didn't even have to think for a long time to know that she was going to reject his offer.

It was nothing like she had pictured, but she didn't mind; it was all for Zuko, and she would never want him to have to forgo his traditions just for her.

No, she was more than happy to get married how people expected Zuko to get married.

Because all the really mattered was that she was getting married to someone she loved, right? There was nothing better than that.

"Katara?"

She snapped out of her daze, and her eyes focused on the mirror. It was Suki talking.

"Katara, we're done with everything. All you have to do is put on the shoes and grab the bouquet. Toph and Ty Lee went to find your father, and once they get back, the wedding will be close to starting. Are you still feeling nervous?"

Katara thought about it for a second as she slipped on her shoes. "Surprisingly, no."

"Even with all those people out there? Ty Lee ran out while you were still day dreaming and said that there were a ton of people here, from all nations."

The bride smiled. "Even with all those people out there. I can do this. I'm ready."

Suki smiled back, glad to hear her best friend was doing better than she was. Suki was nervous about following Katara out and standing up in front of the crowd as they got married, but if Katara could do it, so could she. "That's the spirit, Katara!"

Moments later, Toph and Ty Lee came through the door. "Is everyone ready? It's time to get started!" Ty Lee said, grabbing her flowers and handing Toph hers as well.

As Katara walked down the aisle, hundreds of eyes upon her, she knew that she could never have been married any other way than this. And once she looked up, and saw Zuko, she realized:

This was the wedding she had never dreamed of, but always wanted.

**A/N: I hope you liked it! :D I can't believe tomorrow is the last chapter of this story! I'm really sad about it ending, but I'm also proud of myself for being able to *almost* complete this challenge. Until tomorrow, everyone!**


	30. Brightness

**A/N: Chapter 30, prompt 25 – Brightness. Enjoy!**

From this moment on, nothing would ever be the same.

She would be married. She would get older. She would go through the ups and downs of married life. Maybe she would have a child.

Hundreds of people were behind her, watching. One of the five Fire Sages was standing in front of her and Zuko. They were kneeling before him as he spoke, and doled out two glasses of some type of liquid. She had never been sure what it was, but she was told it was important.

Zuko's right hand clasped her left, and he didn't let go as the Fire Sage handed them a cup each.

"Drink to fertility, drink to marriage, but most of all, drink for love. This is a marriage blest by ancestors past, a bonding of two great nations. However, this marriage is not about politics, or making history. This marriage is about a man and a woman who love each other. Drink for a good relationship, a healthy reign, a good future. Drink."

Zuko and Katara did as they were told. Katara closed her eyes as the warm liquid rolled down her throat. It was a pleasant sensation, to match the love that was coursing through her veins. She glances over at Zuko as she set the cup down, and he winked.

Yes, he had been through this before, hadn't he?

"Rise, Fire Lord Zuko. Face your nation. Rise, Fire Lady Katara. Face your people."

Zuko released her hand as she stood and turned out to the crowd.

"People of the Fire Nation! I give you your new Fire Lady, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe!"

Everything she saw registered quickly in her mind; the brightness of the sun, the joy in the faces of the people (her people, now), the clapping of the crowd, and most importantly, the bursting of her own heart. Zuko clasped her hand, and, at the urging of the Sage, the newly wedded couple began their descent down the stairs and across the aisle. As they walked, Fire Nation citizens of every background, gender, shape, and size turned to watch them walk.

She smiled at the members of the Fire Nation, and gripped Zuko's hand tighter. He squeezed back, and looked down at her. He was smiling, as well, and she was glad that whatever the future would bring, Zuko would be here beside her.

They reached the end of the aisle, and were escorted to where a reception would be. Here, she was to meet and greet important people, moderately well known people, and anyone else who wanted to talk to her. The people of the kingdom would line up before them, Zuko had told her.

"Here you are, Fire Lord and Lady," the guard said. "Just wait here, and-"

"Katara," Zuko interrupted. "Would you like to dance?"

The guard started out with a small warning, saying they were expected to wait here. "No one has really met Lady Katara, sir," he said.

"If you don't mind, I think the people can wait. I want to dance with my new wife, if you don't mind. Tell the guards outside to wait before letting everyone come in. I want to be alone with her."

Zuko whisked Katara away, and asked the band to start playing a slow, beautiful song.

His arm slipped around her waist, and his other hand held hers. Her hand went immediately to his upper back. They began a slow and tranquil waltz around the large room.

"So, are you still happy? Happy with your choices?" he asked, looking straight into her eyes.

She nodded. "More happy that I ever have been. I love you, Zuko," she said.

"And what about the future? Are you nervous? Scared?"

Katara didn't respond for a long time. They continued to twirl around the room, moving in time to the music, moving in time with her thoughts.

The future was a scary thing.

How could anyone ever know what the future holds? It was dark and cloudy, and nothing was ever certain. Would she live to an old age? Would Zuko? Would the world remain at peace, or would a new threat rise?

Would they stay together? Would Aang and Toph get married?

Anything, she realized, could happen. Anything was possible. Azula could escape. Aang could die, and then the new Avatar could be a waterbender from the southern tribe. She could train this Avatar.

She could have a son or a daughter that would become a great warrior. She could have a child that was a scholar, or even an actor.

Katara could see herself old, with long gray-white hair and wrinkles, leaning into Zuko, just as old, as they watched a sunset. She could see Zuko leaving one day to face a new threat to the world, and never returning. She could see her grandchildren playing in the courtyards with their second cousins.

From this point, there were hundreds of unknown paths that led to many, many others, just as mysterious as the first.

Her mind jumped from place to place, and finally, she responded. "No, I'm not scared. I might get worried, but I can face it. What about you?"

Zuko smiled. "I'll always be able to face the future. It gives new beginnings. It gives hope. It gives love, just when you need it," he said, stopping their dance to kiss her.

When he pulled away, she was smiling again. "You speak from experience?"

"I do," he says. "I love you Katara."

He kissed her again, and then they resumed their waltz in silence.

Yes, the future could be a frightening thing. It was dark and infinite. No one knew what it held.

However, it was a little easier to handle with a burning bright flame at your side.

**A/N: Well guys, this is it. It's been a real pleasure writing this story for all of you. I'm glad I finished it, and I'm so sad it's over. I'm proud and yet miserable at the same time. Thank you for all of the reviews, everyone! Thank you for all the favorites, alerts, hits, everything. I loved opening my email every day to see what had happened after I posted the chapter.**

**Wow. I can't believe it's over. Thanks, guys, for making this one of my most popular stories to date. I owe you for being so awesome. Farewell, for now.**

** -Rai**


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